Changes
by RositaLG
Summary: “She’s reading again, how novel.” He said with laughter in his voice. She slowly closed her book and finally raised her eyes to see what she already knew. “You can’t find a new line?” She said with a smile. “I like to stick with the classics.” He smirked.
1. Reunion

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: This takes place around Rory's sophomore year. Dean and Rory broke up right after Tristan left. Jess was just a good friend and Logan never existed.

Tristan walked into the party like he always did, full of confidence and sure of himself. He had no reason to think otherwise. He fit right in with this crowd. He was rich, handsome, and the ladies loved him. At least, that's what he portrayed. He immediately went to the bar and got a drink. As he looked around, he noticed many of the faces. Same old crowd, he thought. Then he noticed someone he had never seen before. He had to do a double take as he looked to the corner of the room. A pretty brunette with a book was sitting in an overstuffed chair. She had obviously found the quietest section of the party and settled in. He chuckled as he took the last sip of his drink and walked towards her.

"She's reading again, how novel." He said with laughter in his voice. She slowly closed her book and finally raised her eyes to see what she already knew.

"You can't find a new line?" She said with a smile.

"I like to stick with the classics." He smirked.

"How was North Carolina?" she asked. It hadn't been the same since he left. She had missed him.

"It wasn't completely horrible." He said as he sat down next to her. "How was Chilton?"

"It was…eventful." She paused as she wondered if she should go on. "Did you really come over to talk about the past?" He smiled at her brazen nature. Not exactly the girl he had left before, she was a woman now.

"Well I thought it was only polite. Speaking of the past, how's Bagboy? You guys must be married by now." she raised her left hand to reveal she wasn't married.

"Dean and I broke up right after you left actually."

"Really?" He said, truly shocked.

"Really. What about you?" He raised his left hand in response.

"Boyfriend?" She shook her head. "Me either." She laughed. "Girlfriend I mean." He said. He was flustered. She thought it was adorable.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" She asked with a glint of adventure in her eye.

"Absolutely." She stood up and took his hand. It threw him off balance immediately. He had no idea where he stood with her; she had changed.

"Hungry?" He shrugged. "I know a great place." They walked out to his car and she directed them to her favorite spot in Hartford.

"Hector's?" He eyed the place suspiciously. "I never even knew this place existed."

"NO! They've got the best tacos on the East Coast! Oh well now we have to go in."

"Well I guess so." He said matching her tone. Rory hopped out of the car and led Tristan inside.

"Rory!" yelled the cook behind the counter.

"Hey Hector! I've brought a virgin with me, so make it a double."

"Of course," he said as Tristan took out his wallet. "For you, it's on the house."

"They give you free food?" Tristan asked as Hector went to cooking the food.

"I come here a lot, whenever I bring in someone new, they do the same thing. One of the perks of being a faithful customer. My mother's been coming here since it opened." She said with a smile.

"So tell me, what are you up to now?"

"Well, I'm currently attending Yale majoring in Journalism. Paris is my roommate actually." Tristan winced.

"That's a definite change since I left."

"Well once you left, she no longer had a reason to hate me and now we've gotten to be pretty good friends. What about you?"

"I'm actually at North Carolina. My parents are trying to get me to transfer to Yale of course, but we'll see how that goes."

"What are you studying?"

"The goal is to be a pediatrician." Rory tried to cover the shock on her face but Tristan saw the wave of confusion pass over her countenance.

"Really?" was all she could reply. "And where did this come from?"

"I wanted to be a doctor, but when I became an uncle, I decided it would be really cool to work with kids. My sister says it's because I myself will never grow up."

"Are you and your sister close?" He nodded.

"She and I were almost always alone together so we bonded. She's 5 years older than I am, and the responsible one of the family. They live in Hartford now, partly the reason I'm back for the summer. Actually, I think I might have a picture of them." He said pulling out his wallet. Rory smiled, he had changed more than she thought. "Ah yes." He pulled the picture out and slid it across the table. Rory picked it up and grinned at the photo. They were at the beach and they were all making silly faces to the camera. They looked really happy.

"That's my sister Catherine, Cat, her husband Rob, and their little girl, Elizabeth, but we call her Izzy. I took this photo when they came down to visit me over Spring Break." Izzy had the same curly blonde hair as her mother, but she had those amazingly blue eyes that Tristan had.

"She's adorable! How old is she?" she asked as she returned the photo.

"She just turned three." He said as he put the photo back in his wallet.

"I get the vibe that you are completely wrapped around her little finger, and therefore she's spoiled rotten." Tristan held up his hands.

"In self-defense, she's probably the smartest girl on the planet. She knows exactly how to work me. She has this face that…argh…you can't even begin to describe." Rory began to laugh at him. "What?"

"Tristan DuGray. Hartford elite and cocky SOB is being turned to mush by a three-year-old girl? Who would have thought that a toddler would be your weakness?" Before Tristan could answer Hector brought out their food.

"Ah, it looks wonderful. Thanks Hector!"

"For you Miss Gilmore, anything." Rory returned his smile and then focused her attention on Tristan.

"Dig in!"

"How much food did you order?" he said scanning the huge tray of food that had just been sat before him.

"Two chicken tacos, one hard shell, one soft. Nachos with a sour cream, cheese, and salsa dip. And a beef chimi with melted cheese on top. And a Coke of course. If you can't finish it all, I understand. You wouldn't be the first man who succumbed to the Gilmore eating habits."

"No, I think I can handle it. I just had no idea that you could as well. You're half the size of me, where does it all go? I'm assuming you don't exercise?" She cringed at the word.

"God no! It's one of the mysteries of the world I guess." She shrugged as she dove into her plate full of food.

OOOOOOOO

"Well that was officially the best food I've ever had." Tristan said as Rory finished the remainder of her meal.

"Ah tol woo tho." She replied. Tristan laughed at her attempts to talk with her mouth full. God she's just as beautiful as I remember, plus some, he thought. No wonder I was head over heels in love with her.

"You wanna try that again?" She swallowed and tried again.

"I told you so!"

"That's what I thought you said. So tell me Mary, why did you decide to go to Yale?" She stopped and thought about it.

"Well, my mother was a huge draw. I was accepted to Harvard and Princeton too, but I wanted to stay close to her. I made a Pro/Con list and this is what it told me to do. It just was a better fit for me. Why do you ask?"

"Well as I said, my mother wants me to move closer. I love North Carolina, but having Yale on my graduation certificate would look better to medical schools. I'm considering transferring, but I have no idea where I stand on the issue." Rory smiled and pointed her finger. Before she could comment he interrupted her.

"I know, I know, I need a list!" Tristan smirked at her.

"I'm telling you. I don't know how anyone survives without them. Everything in my life is affected by my lists."

"I believe you." He paused and smiled at her. "Just when I think you've changed, you show me that you haven't changed at all."

"Oh, I've changed? Mr. Break into a safe? Military school must have done wonders on you." At least it has on his body, she thought. I don't remember him looking this good.

"I'm not saying I haven't changed. I have, for the better. I've seen the error of my ways." He held up the boy scout fingers.

"So if I asked you to take me back to my place you would say?"

"Not the first thing that popped into my mind," he paused thinking, "maybe the second." She smiled.

"Yeah, you haven't changed at all either." She said picking up her purse.


	2. Resistance

Disclaimer: You know the drill…ASP is a genius…I am not

"So where are we heading?" Tristan asked as he turned on the ignition.

"Just take this right here." Rory pointed out the exit. Tristan turned to look at her. "I'm in the apartment building on the left." He pulled into the building and parked. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Ror, do you believe in fate?" He asked with wide eyes and a smile on his face.

"Yeah. I guess so, why?" She turned to face him in her seat.

"What floor do you live on?" He was starting to scare her now.

"The second. Why?"

"I just moved in, fourth floor." He said, bursting out with a deep laughter that Rory was convinced would have killed her if she hadn't been in shock.

"You lie." He just shook his head. Inside, he was thanking every deity in the world that his luck had changed with her. He could have never predicted he would run into her again, but now that he had, he was seriously considering what this meant. He had never believed in fate, but he was starting to.

"I can't believe this."

"And here I was going to ask you if you wanted to come in for some coffee." She said with a smile. They got out of the car and walked into the building. The elevator was empty and Rory turned and looked at Tristan. She had a sly smile on her face. She was wondering whether or not he was going to kiss her or not. She knew he probably wouldn't, but she secretly wanted him to.

"What are you looking at?" she bit her lip and didn't say anything. Tristan felt light-headed at the sight. She has no idea what she's doing to me, he thought. The doors opened and she walked to her door.

"This is me." She said as she opened the door. Her apartment completely mirrored her personality. It was simple but elegant and filled with books. "Do you mind if I change? I'm not really much of a formal person."

"Go ahead." She walked into her bedroom. "This place is nice." He said as he began looking around around.

"Thanks. I like it." He tried not to think of her practically naked in the next room. He noticed all of her photos on the walls were of her and her family, and another guy. "Who's the guy in the photos? Do you have a brother?" He had just finished admiring a shelf of her books when she appeared in a pair of blue terry cloth shorts and a white tank top. Her hair was in a messy bun. "That's Jess. He was a rebel without a clue back in High school, but now he actually wrote a short novel and owns a bookstore in Philly. Sound familiar?

"So you live here by yourself?" he quickly changed the subject. She laughed and humored him by continuing.

"Yeah. My grandparents contribution to my life. They like having me so close, but it also means I get roped into a lot of gatherings like the one tonight." He followed her into the kitchen and she began to make a pot of coffee.

"Trust me, I understand." He said almost wearily. "It's the same reason I'm supposed to be coming to Yale. But enough about society. I want to learn more about you. Tell me something I don't know."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, anything. What's your favorite color?" She grinned at his attempt to learn more about her. Whatever color your eyes are, she thought.

"Blue, and yours?"

"Blue as well. We have something in common." He wouldn't tell her that it was because it was the color of her eyes.

"Favorite meal?"

"I don't think you can ever beat a good steak and bake potato." She rolled her eyes. "You?"

"Double bacon cheeseburger and fries from Luke's."

"Luke's…Is this like Hector's?"

"Luke is my mom's boyfriend. He owns the diner in Stars Hollow. Instead of going grocery shopping, we go to Luke's. I grew up on his food. He's also Jess's uncle. Your turn to ask the question."

"Favorite book."

"Impossible, I need a time period, a genre, something to narrow the question."

"Absolutely not! You have to have a favorite book."

"Do you have a favorite book?" She asked him in disbelief.

"How about the book I've read the most?" Her interest was peaked. She couldn't see Tristan reading at all, let alone having a favorite book.

"That works. What is it?"

"Goodnight Moon." She started laughing.

"I knew you couldn't have a serious answer to that question. I've never seen you read a day in my life."

"For your information, it's Izzy's favorite book. And my nanny used to read it to us all the time when I was little."

"I'm going to have to meet this little girl that has such a hold on you."

"I'm sure that can be arranged." She got up to pour the coffee and Tristan couldn't help but take in the image of her legs. They were perfect. Those legs would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.

"Here you go." She said turning around. "Let's go sit in the living room." They both sat down on the ends of the couch. Rory tucked her legs underneath her and turned so she was facing him.

"So the last time I saw you, you were trying to kiss me in front of my boyfriend. Did you mean what you said when you left Chilton that night?" her question came out of nowhere and took him off guard. "Or were you just being your typical high school self. Because normally I would have believed the latter, but you were different in that last moment. You looked like you did on the piano bench." She was rambling so she stopped talking and let him talk.

"Rory, I know you think that I was just messing with your head and all that, but I really liked you back then. I had never met anyone like you before. You didn't fall at my feet; you weren't impressed by anything that I could offer you. You even thought I was repulsive. So the first day of school when I saw you, I knew I had to have you. A conquest to beat all conquests. But as I got to know you, I wanted to know more of what made you tick. You were different and it intrigued me."

"You called me odd." He laughed and nodded his head.

"The more I saw, the more I became interested in you, not just as a conquest, but as something more than that. And then, the piano bench incident."

"I still feel bad about that."

"I can honestly say that was a once in a lifetime experience."

"The kiss or the crying?"

"Both." He replied. There was a brief silence as they both let the memories of that night be refreshed in their minds. "So although I made you cry, it was a good kiss?" She paused. She didn't know how much to tell him. Did she want to tell him it was the most phenomenal kiss she's ever had? That she thought about that kiss for days afterward?

"Yeah. It was a good kiss." She bit her lip again and he inwardly groaned. She started fiddling with her cup on the coffee table. Rory was sending a thousand telepathic messages straight to him. She wanted to feel like she felt in that moment.

"What are you thinking about?" His voice was practically a whisper. When she looked up, she saw in his eyes something different. She didn't know what the change was, but she wanted to find out. His eyes were darker, not stormy, just deeper. A deeper blue than she thought was possible.

"I just…" Her cell phone interrupted her. She pulled it out and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey you. How was the party?" Lorelei knew how to ruin a good moment. Rory secretly was grateful for the interruption.

"I'll tell you all about it in the morning but right now I'm kind of busy. Can I call you later?"

"Busy! Doing who?"

"Bye Mom." Rory turned her cell phone off and looked back at Tristan. His eyes were full of mocking laughter but he didn't crack a smile.

"Sorry about that."

"No…No…Don't worry about it. It's getting pretty late though. I should… head upstairs." He said as he pointed to the ceiling.

"Ok." She got up off the couch and took his coffee cup into the kitchen.

"Thanks for everything tonight. I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah me too. It was the last thing I expected to do tonight, but I'm glad we ran into each other."

"Yeah." She opened the door for him and he walked out into the hallway. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Ok, goodnight."

"Goodnight." Rory waited for him to turn around before shutting the door. I can't believe he didn't do it, she thought. She knew what she had to do. She opened the door.

"Tristan." He turned around and she met him in the hall. Before he could question her, she kissed him. It was supposed to be a short simple kiss. Supposed to being the keyword. As soon as her lips touched his, she knew there was no going back. After adjusting to the shock, Tristan deepened the kiss, taking control of the situation. His hands came up to weave through her hair and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Just as quickly as she started it, she broke the kiss.

"Goodnight." She said with a quick peck on the lips again. She walked back into her apartment and shut the door. Tristan was left standing in the middle of the hallway, lipstick smeared across his lips looking like an idiot. He looked towards her door again as if half expecting something else to happen. He wiped his lips with the edge of his finger and examined the color before heading up the stairs, two at a time.


	3. Rhymes

Disclaimer: I own Cat, Rob and Izzy! Although I don't think that will get me much…lol

Later the next day, Rory was walking in her building when she heard a little voice.

"Uncle Tristan. I want ice cream!"

"Mommy says that you can't have ice cream because you won't eat your supper."

"Then I want supper!" she said with a giggle. Rory turned around and smiled at the sight. Tristan was carrying her on his back and heading for the elevator.

"Hold the door." She said with a grin. Tristan stuck his arm out and looked up to see who asked the request. Seeing Rory, he immediately tried to keep his composure. He hadn't seen or talked to her since her stunt in the hallway last night. He had no idea where he stood with her and it made him extremely uncomfortable. "Thank you!" she smiled. Suddenly, everything was going to be ok.

"Izzy I want you to meet my friend Rory. Rory, this is my niece Izzy."

"How do you do?" Rory asked her as she held out her hand.

"Hi." Izzy said shyly at first.

"I've heard a lot about you. You're Tristan's favorite person in the whole world I think." She smiled.

"Are you coming for pizza?" Izzy asked. Tristan took this as a perfect opportunity for a second date. This was the first time they had seen each other since the kiss, but he still had to assume this was going somewhere.

"Yes Rory, are you coming for pizza?" She watched his eyes to make sure it was something he wanted as well.

"I would love too."

OOOOO

Tristan ordered pizza while Rory and Izzy became good friends. Rory now understood why Tristan was so enamored with the little girl. She was adorable and incredibly intelligent for someone her age. After they were done eating, Izzy started showing off all of her talents.

"Hey Izzy, do you want to share with Rory the nursery rhyme I taught you today?" She nodded.

"Oh, I'm glad. Let's hear it." Rory said.

"Mary, Mary, Quite contrary. How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockerel shells and little maids all in a row." She said, quite proud of herself. Tristan had a huge smirk on his face watching her blatantly make fun of Rory and not even realize it.

"Wow Izzy. That's really good." Rory said, smiling at Tristan's cocky face. "Can I teach you another one?" Izzy smiled and jumped up on her lap. "Ok here we go." Tristan left to go clean up the dinner plates and when he came back, Izzy was ready to tell Tristan her new rhyme.

"Uncle Tristan! I learned something new!"

"Ok ok. I'm listening." He glanced over at Rory who was sitting very carefully listening.

"Georgie porgie, pudding and pie. Kissed the girls and made them cry. When the boys came out to play, Georgie porgie ran away." She paused. "And Uncle Tristan…This isn't part of the rhyme but Rory told me to say it. To North Carolina, 'cause that's where you live, right Uncle Tristan? She said it would make it special just for you." Rory was on her knees laughing. Tristan was put in his place.

"I love it. Thanks Izzy." He kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you go color at the table."

"Ok." She ran off to play and Tristan took another look to where Rory was on the floor laughing.

"I made you cry once. Once! Will I never live that down?" She just laughed harder and he tackled her. She had tears streaming down her face but she managed to talk.

"Never. You underestimate the power of a malleable mind." She finally stopped laughing and looked over at Tristan. As he was watching her, she noticed his eyes getting darker again. He leaned in and kissed her. Rory's stomach dropped to her feet and soared back up to her chest. It was a light kiss, sweet. He moved a section of her hair out of her eyes and trailed his fingers behind her ear and down her jawbone. A girl could really get used to this, she thought.

"Uncle Tristan, I need you." He heard Izzy cry from the kitchen.

"Coming." He yelled back. He turned to look at Rory one more time before getting up and going into the kitchen. Rory got up and went into the bathroom. She fixed herself up after her laughing fit and walked towards the kitchen. She was just about there when the front door opened.

"Mommy!" She heard Izzy shout as she ran towards the door.

"Hey! How's my girl? Were you good for Tristan today?" She nodded and when Catherine looked up, she noticed Rory for the first time.

"Hey." Tristan walked into the living room and greeted his big sister.

"How was she?"

"She was an angel like always."

"Mommy Mommy! Rory and Tristan taught me nursery rhymes!"

"They did! Wow, you'll have to tell Daddy and me all about it when we get home."

"Oh, Rory, this is my sister, Catherine. Cat, this is…Rory Gilmore." He had no idea what she was to him. They were obviously more than friends, but he hesitated in calling her his girlfriend before anything was official.

"It's nice to meet you." Catherine said in a nice polite voice, but Rory could tell it was full of questions.

"You too."

"Ok, honey. We have to go now. Thanks Tris, I owe you one."

"Anytime."

"I'm going to love having you in town this summer. I can tell already. It was nice meeting you Rory."

"Bye Rory, Bye Uncle Tristan!"

"Bye!" They both said as Tristan shut the door.

"Well, that was fun." Rory said as Tristan sauntered on over to her.

"You know what I'm about to ask you?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Is it dirty?" She said with a glint of mischief in her eye.

"What are we doing here? I mean, are we dating, dating around, friends with benefits." She laughed at the way he said benefits.

"You mean, are you my boyfriend?" A smile gracing her lips.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to be my boyfriend?" she asked slowly. "It's a demanding task. I require a lot."

"How am I doing so far?" he asked half joking around, the other half seriously wondering.

"You're doing pretty good."

"I've never really done the serious thing before." He said in complete honesty.

"That's ok. You catch on quick."

"Do you want to stay and watch a movie or something?"

"Sure, I'd like that." She smiled. "But I get to pick the movie!"

"Ok, but I get veto power. It is my place after all." She smiled, knowing very well that he would never veto a movie she picked out, just because he was that kind of guy. Of course, he had to maintain some control; he was a guy after all. And it was her job as a woman to make him think that he had control, when in reality, he didn't stand a chance against her. "The movies are in the entertainment stand." She walked over and opened the cupboard. He had hundreds of DVDs that she would have loved to watch, but she saw one and immediately knew they had to watch it. She pulled it out and watched a smile curl on his lips.

"This is the greatest movie of all time."

"I think so. Of course, I got it for Izzy." He said as he put Willy Wonka in the player.

"You do realize I will sing along, and act out every line from every scene?"

"Super." He said as he rolled his eyes. "How many times have you seen this anyway?"

"More than I can count. At least 3 times a year since I've been born."

"When I was little, the Oompa Loompas freaked me out."

"Oh! I love the Oompas!" she said as they settled in on the couch. "Someday, if you're deemed worthy enough, I will let you come to a Gilmore movie night." He turned to look at her.

"If I'm worthy enough?"

"It's a marathon, if you start out too early, you'll go into a sugar coma or leave the house screaming. You need to work up to it." She said in all seriousness. "Now shush, the movie is starting." He wrapped an arm around her and she grabbed the blanket off the top of the couch. Rory snuggled in closer to Tristan. He could smell her shampoo as she rested her head on his chest. This was definitely something he wanted to do more of. He kissed the top of her head and started to watch the beginning of the movie.


	4. Realizations

Disclaimer: I own nothing

The next morning, Tristan got a phone call from his sister.

"So what are you going to tell me about Rory?" She asked.

"Hello Cat. How's life?" He paused. He could feel her glare from over the phone. "What do you want to know?" Alright, he caved. But it's not like he could avoid the question forever.

"Well, for starters, how did you meet her?"

"We knew each other in high school, before I left for North Carolina. We met again a couple nights ago at a party. It turns out she lives in my building and now we are dating." He tried to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Do you like her?" Tristan laughed.

"Of course I like her, I'm dating her aren't I?"

"You know what I mean. You've never introduced anyone to Izzy before, do you want her to stick around for awhile?"

"I would be lying if I said I don't want to see where this is going. But, on the other hand, we just started dating yesterday, I'm not getting married to the woman."

"Have you slept with her?"

"Cat!"

"Well? I mean, you knew each other in high school so I'm assuming you dated."

"No actually. We never dated. We kissed once, but that was a messy situation and we both understood it didn't mean anything." Very rarely would he lie to his sister, but in this case, well, he lied.

"Wait a second."

"What?" He said truly confused.

"I remember this girl, you were totally into her."

"Wait, what? How did we get to this point in the conversation?"

"Men." She muttered. "You didn't date her, but you kissed her. This is the girl you met at that party, the one you said probably hated your guts."

"How do you remember that? I don't even remember telling you that."

"It's a gift. Well, is she the same girl?" There was silence on the line. Cat squealed. "I knew it!"

"Catherine," Tristan gave a warning tone.

"I must meet this girl properly."

"You've already met her."

"No, I mean really get to know her, show her the baby pictures, tell her the horror stories of your youth."

"I don't mean to burst your bubble, but she knew me in high school. In fact, she was there for the worst year of my life. I think she knows everything she's getting into."

"Do you love her?"

"Excuse me?" Tristan was completely caught off-guard by her frankness.

"You heard me."

"She's a charming, intelligent, and beautiful woman. I intend to figure out the rest _after our second date_." He said wearily.

"Ok, I get the hint. I'll stop hounding you about the new woman. Is it so terrible for me to want my little brother to finally find a decent woman and settle down?"

"Goodbye Catherine." He said as he hung up the phone. Speaking of a second date, he thought to himself. He took the stairs down to see if Rory wanted to do something. She had told him she would be around all day and to stop by if he was bored. He knocked on her door and inwardly smiled to himself as he remembered their first, rather their second kiss that had taken place in this hallway. He looked up as the door started opening. There stood Rory in a small white and revealing towel. Her hair was still wet but combed through.

"Hey! Come on in." She said, apparently not at all shy about her present lack of clothing. Tristan swallowed and did as he was told. "Take a seat. What's up?" she asked as she pointed to the couch. He took a seat as she went back into the bedroom.

"Nothing. I just thought I'd come see what you were up to, see if you wanted to hang out."

"I'd love to. Did you have anything in particular planned?"

"Well, truthfully, I haven't been in Hartford for a couple years so I probably wouldn't be the best person to ask."

"Good call." She said. He looked up as she entered the room again. She was wearing cutoffs that immediately drove Tristan crazy. She had the best legs he had ever seen on a woman, and that was the truth. He loved that she refused to dress up for him. It was a nice change from the usual girls he dated. "Well, there's a great park down the road. We could go for a walk." She offered.

"That sounds good to me." He said with a smile. Just then the phone started ringing. She held up a finger and began searching for the noise. Tristan, amused by said action, followed her. She traced the ring all the way to the kitchen. The phone was finally discovered under a pile of towels.

"Hello!" Rory said, slightly out of breath from her journey.

"Hello Love!" Came a voice she hadn't heard in a while.

"Oh my gosh! Is it really you?"

"The one and only."

"How are you?" She had met Finn at Yale, but he had been in Australia for the past year. They had tried to keep in touch but with the time difference and busy schedules it hadn't worked very well.

"I'm currently doing quite well. I'm standing outside your apartment building. Let me in."

"What!"

"You heard me." Just then the door buzzed to let her know he was serious. She buzzed him in. It was then that she noticed Tristan.

"An old friend whom I haven't seen in a year just dropped in. Do you mind if?" She pointed to the door.

"No. Not at all." He said. She kissed him.

"You're the best." He headed for the door.

"Oh no. I didn't mean you had to leave! I just didn't know if you minded him hanging out with us for awhile." Him. The word stood out like neon on a dark canvas. Still, he had no reason to stay.

"No, you two will want to catch up. It's fine, just call me when you can do something." The door opened and in swung Finn.

"Finn?" Tristan asked completely in shock.

"DuGray?" Rory looked from Finn to Tristan. Apparently they knew each other.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live upstairs. I'm dating Rory. What are you doing here?"

"Is that right? Oh well, Rory and I go way back. Don't we love?" She nodded mutely.

"Ok, my turn. How do you two know each other." Rory said, feeding into the circle of epiphany.

"Finn and I met in High School. We didn't go to the same schools but we were in the same group, which means we saw each other everywhere."

"Well I'll be damned. It's a smaller world than I thought." Was all she could say as the group began chatting.

OOOOO

Five hours later, they were sitting around a table drinking and telling their best stories.

"This bloke here throws the best sub party you've ever seen." Finn said with a wink. Rory laughed. Tristan shouldn't have been surprised, but he was.

"Mary, you've been to sub parties?"

"Oh don't kid yourself. This girl here invaded the entire pool house at her grandmother's. That was quite the night."

"Ah, but your re-enactment of Les Mis made it a classy night." She said as she finished another beer. "I'm out." She said, slightly drunk. Finn popped open another and filled her glass.

"If you had told me I would be sitting here now, I wouldn't have believed you." Tristan said. "Mary's getting drunk with Finn of all people."

"Now doll, are you drunk?" Finn asked, checking her eyes.

"Oh." Rory paused. "I've been worse." She said with a grin. She polished off the rest of her beer with amazing speed.

"Then I haven't done my job properly." He said, preparing to fill her empty glass again. Tristan gave him a look and shook his head. She had clearly had more than enough. Finn laughed at his old friend. Time had changed him almost as much as it had changed Rory. "Alright. No more for you." Rory stuck her tongue out at him and Finn got up to leave.

"It was nice seeing you Finn. Come to America again!" She said as she gave him a huge hug. Finn hugged her and smiled at Tristan over her shoulder.

"You got a good girl here DuGray. I'm hope you realize that."

"Oh I do." Finn smiled and walked out of the kitchen. When Tristan heard the door slam, he turned his attention back to Rory.

"Now what do I do with you?" He said, thinking out loud. Rory got up from the table and sat on his lap.

"I have an idea." She said, kissing his neck. He let her roam for awhile. There was no harm in that and he was a guy after all. He had never seen her drunk, but he had to admit it was quite amusing. She wasn't all that different just happier and much more loose. It was the loose part that would get him into trouble. She grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom. The white cotton sheets were cool against her skin. She peeled off her shirt and shorts so she was only in her bra and panties.

"Rory." He didn't know what to do with her, so he just stood there.

"I love the feel of sheets against my skin, don't you?" He backed away from the bed and shook his head.

"I'm not doing this with you tonight." He nervously laughed; secretly knowing he would kill to.

"Why not? Don't you want to?" She said as she slipped under the covers and removed her bra.

"Of course I want to. But not now, like this. Besides, I think you would regret it in the morning, assuming you'd remember it at all." He went to her drawers and found her pajamas. He threw them on the bed. "Put these on. You'll feel a whole lot better when you wake up in the morning." She shook her head.

"But I want you." She said defiantly. The covers fell from the front of her and Tristan tried, but couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"We'll discuss this tomorrow when you are sober. I promise." He said, looking at the ground. He turned around and walked out the door. Note to self, he thought, get Rory drunk more often.

That night while lying in bed, he couldn't close his eyes. Every time he tried to, he saw Rory lying in her own bed, naked and pleading with him to join her. It had been a long time since she had crept into his dreams, but that night they were full of Rory Gilmore.

OOOOO

Rory woke up with an extremely strong hatred of the sun. Her head was pounding and the light was shining in through her bedroom window. Finn, I'm going to kill you, she thought. It was then that she noticed she was naked. Just lovely, she turned to see if Tristan was lying next to her and he wasn't. She obviously didn't get any last night. She heard a knock on the door. Trying to sit up almost killed her, so she laid back down and hoped the person would go away.

"Honey! I'm home!" It was Lorelei. She quickly got dressed and opened her door.

"Hhmm,"

"So, Finn called me and told me you might want some of Luke's pancakes this morning." She held up the bag and set it on the counter.

"Pancakes good." She said a little more coherently. "Coffee." Lorelei poured her a cup and she gulped it down.

"So, I'm assuming you had fun last night." She said as she motioned towards Rory's shirt. It was on inside out.

"No. I didn't." Lorelei raised her eyebrow. "I wanted to, I think. But apparently nothing happened." She rubbed her head. "I'm never letting Finn in my liquor cabinet again."

"Trying to stop the elves with tiny hammers in your brain?" Lorelei said, laughing at her.

"Not tiny, huge. Huge and, and, Big."

"I think that I like you hung over. Makes me feel better about my own intelligence." She stuck her tongue out at her mother. "I rest my case."


	5. Reality

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Hey Guys! I'm excited to be writing again. I'm in college once more so things are going to be slower to get done. If you get impatient, I've finished _Everything's Perfect_ so if you haven't checked that out, you should! This took longer than I thought it would because I had an idea and some stuff written and I completely changed my mind and rewrote the whole thing. Lol. Writing is a blessing and a curse sometimes. Enjoy, and don't forget to Review!

After Lorelei left, Rory decided that she needed some fresh air. She was walking out of her building when she ran into Catherine.

"Rory! Tristan's sister, Cat." She outstretched her hand toward Rory

"I remember. Hi!" She shook her hand awkwardly.

"I was just on my way up to see you. I wanted to apologize if we got off on the wrong foot before. I've just never seen Tristan introduce Izzy to a girl he's dating. It caught me off guard." She smiled apologetically. "Usually he's so protective of her, he must really trust you."

"Oh, it was fine. I completely understand." She paused. "She's adorable. I can understand why Tristan is so enamored with her."

"She definitely has him whipped. I'm so glad he's here for the summer, I don't know what I would do without him." Rory smiled. "Oh I caught you on the way out. I'll let you be on your way. I'm sure you have more important things to be doing than standing here talking to me." She laughed.

"No. I was just going to go for a walk."

"Well, if you would like some company, I'm on my way to meet Rob, Tristan, and Izzy at a park around the corner?"

"Sure. I would love that!" Rory said, slightly unsure of the proper rule of thumb when it came to hanging out with your boyfriend's sister.

"Excellent." They headed for the corner. "So how did you meet Tristan?" She asked, unapologetic for the snooping.

"We went to high school together actually, at Chilton. I transferred there my sophomore year and then, as you know, he left for military school, but we knew each other. We met again just the other night at a function."

"Normally I would assume that you two had dated, but I think you are smarter than that." Cat turned to look at her, the glint in her eye identical to Tristan's.

"No, we didn't. We kissed once, but it wasn't really a serious thing. I had just broken up with my boyfriend and he had just broken up with his girlfriend and we were mutually depressed." Cat laughed.

"You aren't the mindless bimbo archetype. If my brother kissed you, it definitely meant something." Rory blushed. "So it did mean something?"

"It couldn't mean something back then." Rory answered honestly. She found herself wondering why she was talking so openly about this with almost a complete stranger, especially someone who could pass the information onto Tristan.

"And now?" She said with a sly grin.

"Now, it could very much mean something." She said with an elated grin she couldn't contain.

"I like you Rory. I think you could be the best thing to happen to Tristan since…" She paused. "Well, in a long time." Rory smiled but didn't let the pause go unnoticed. Since what or more importantly, since who?

"Well I like you too." As they got closer to the park, they found Rob and Tristan teaching Izzy how to play basketball.

"There are my boys!" Cat said as she walked across the court. "Look Tristan, I brought you a present!" Tristan looked up and saw Rory walking over to him. Memories from the night before flashed across his mind. He smiled.

"And what a good present it is." He said, saying it soft enough that only she could hear it.

"Hi." She said, looking up at him with those eyes that drove him wild. He was all sweaty from playing basketball. He pulled her a little closer.

"Hi." He inwardly scolded himself for not saying more. He wanted to. He wanted to kiss her, hell, he wanted to do a lot more than that, but not now. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Your sister came to see me, and I was on my way out the door so she invited me to walk over here. We had a great chat." She said, stealing his smirk. His thoughts went to hell.

"Really? Should I be worried?" He said, the thought of Cat and Rory becoming good friends pushing the filthy thoughts out of his head.

"Not at all." She smiled and bit her lip. God Rory, get a grip already. She looked up at him and he looked at Cat and Rob. They were staring.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" He asked, praying to God that she said yes.

"You don't want to stick around and hang out with your family?" She said, truly confused.

"Nah, they need some alone time with their kid. Besides, I think they owe me." He said with a wink. "Give me two seconds." Rory just smiled and Tristan ran over to the couple.

"I'm giving you some quality alone time with your daughter today." He said, managing to sound generous.

"Oh really?" Rob said. "How magnanimous of you."

"I thought so. I'll see you guys later." He turned around and slipped his hand around Rory's.

"She's the one." Cat said out loud.

"What one mommy?" Izzy asked confused.

"Sweetie, do you want to show mommy what Uncle Tristan taught you?" Rob said, looking at his wife with knowing eyes.

"Yeah!" She shouted.

"Thank God for short attention spans." Cat muttered to herself.

OOOOOOO

As soon as Tristan and Rory were out of hearing distance, Rory started talking.

"So about last night." She said, breaking the silence.

"Yes. Last night." He said, trying to remain serious.

"I don't remember anything that happened, but I'm going to assume I need to apologize for something." She said, blushing and obviously embarrassed.

"No. You don't have to apologize at all. It was cute seeing you drunk." He said with laughter in his voice.

"Stop it! I'm horribly embarrassed. I'm afraid I'm what some people would call a lightweight."

"Finn has that effect on people."

"So I didn't do anything worth mentioning last night?" She asked. "What am I asking you for anyway? You wouldn't tell me even if I had. You've become a stand up guy now." She said as she opened up her door and let them both in.

"You think so?" He said straightening himself and putting on his society face.

"I know so." She said completely serious. She put her keys down on the table next to the door and took off her coat. Tristan knew that she had meant for what she said to be a compliment, but part of him still took offense. He didn't want to come off as being old. He walked up to her and wrapped his hands around her waist.

"So you don't think that there is any more of that rebellious teenager in me?" He said moving closer to her. "The kind of guy who would just push you up against a locker," she felt her back hit the wall, "and kiss you senseless?" His hands were on her hips and she couldn't think past that. "The kind of guy that would have you in the back seat, begging for more?" The feelings he was invoking in her would make a nun cry. She could feel his hot breath on her neck as his lips moved dangerously close to her ear. "Do you really think that I've changed that much?" He whispered, his voice ragged and breathing shallow. She couldn't form a sentence. "Because I really don't think I have." He said normally again. He pulled away from her and she opened her eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked as she pulled him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Do you think its fun to tease me? First Mary, now this?"

"I do actually." He said, trademark smirk firmly in position.

"It's mean to tempt someone with something they want." She locked eyes with him as his smile disappeared. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Their bodies melted and Tristan pulled away.

"Kissing you is dangerous." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I was thinking the same thing." He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he couldn't break although he had tried.

"I really want to…" She sighed. Rory didn't need to finish her sentence. Tristan nodded. "But we couldn't. Right?"

"Right. We've barely gotten to know each other." Tristan said, trying to convince himself just as much as her.

"So we'll take things slow." She asked more than stated. Tristan reached out for her hand.

"Yeah." They got lost in each other's eyes again. You're doing it again, he thought. "Maybe I should go." Tristan headed for the door.

"No! Don't be silly. We can be in the same room, can't we?" Tristan ran his eyes up and down her body.

"I know that was supposed to be rhetorical, but I honestly don't know." He laughed.

"I'll tell you what. Let's just throw it out onto the table right now."

"What do you mean?" He raised his eyebrow.

"All our past baggage. Everything we need to know about each other in order to have a good, open, and honest relationship that Oprah would be proud of." Tristan looked at her like she was crazy.

"You mean, just throw all that information out there. Be complete open about everything?" Rory laughed at his hesitation.

"Yeah! It's not that hard. I'll start. After you left, I broke up with Dean. I had a couple boyfriends throughout my senior year, but I met someone serious my freshman year at Yale. Will. We dated almost the whole school year, and then I caught him cheating on me."

"Stupid." Tristan said, completely shocked that someone would do that to Rory.

"Yeah, well I should have known better."

"So, you're obviously not a Mary anymore. Care to explain that?" He asked curiously. He was glad that she was being like this, it made it a lot less awkward.

"I've only slept with two guys. I lost my virginity to Will. And I had a one night fling with someone right after I found out he was cheating on me. It didn't mean anything and I never saw the guy again. I'm not proud of it, but it happened."

"You don't have to explain it to me." Tristan said as he looked at his shoes. "I've had my fair share."

"Your sister said something earlier today. She said she thought I was the best thing that happened to you since… and then she stopped. Do you know what she was talking about?"

"Yeah. I only have had one serious girlfriend. Her name was Emily. We dated from senior year to about 6 months ago. It ended badly."

"So what happened?"

"She wanted me to be something I wasn't. I changed and she didn't." He clearly felt uncomfortable with the subject. She reached out and took his hand.

"You don't have to tell me." She said as she looked in his direction.

"No. I do." He took a deep breath and continued. "She was expecting an engagement. And I was just starting to figure out my life. She wanted me to settle down and I didn't want to. Cat thought that I was just having commitment issues. We don't come from the most functional family. But I wasn't…" he paused as if searching for the right words. "I don't know if I'm looking for that."

"Tristan, no one is asking you to get married. We are just dating. That's fine with me. No pressure." He laughed.

"I realize that. But thank you, for understanding."

"Of course. You have done the rebound thing right? I'm not…" She asked trying to assess her status with him.

"Oh God no. You would never be that for me." He said, laughing at her for even think something like that. "Why? Are you on the rebound?" He asked, not wanting to get their wires crossed. He wanted a lot more with her than just a casual fling.

"No. I just wanted to be sure. The last thing I need is a lack of communication about what this is and where it is going."

"Alright then." He said.

"Ok." She replied. There was a long pause. "So, are there any other questions you want to ask me? Now's the time."

"A 'Speak now or forever hold your piece' kind of thing?" Tristan joked.

"Exactly."

"I can't think of any. Do you have anything else for me?" He asked.

"Nope." Rory said, her response simple and concise. There was another long pause.

"So do we have sex now?" Tristan asked laughing. Rory just rolled her eyes, picked up the nearest pillow, and threw it at him.


	6. Ready

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with anything. And there is some serious Trory action in this chapter…Enjoy!

Tristan and Rory had been seeing each other regularly and everything was going really well. They had gotten to know each other and Rory believed that they were finally ready to take the next step. It was lazy Saturday afternoon and they were sitting on a park bench enjoying the gorgeous June weather.

"Let me make dinner for you tonight." Tristan said, pushing Rory's hair behind her ear.

"You know how to cook?" She asked.

"Of course I know how to cook." He said matter of factly. "Why, don't you?"

"Absolutely not. I can't believe I didn't know you could cook! I've been missing out on free meals." She said with a giggle.

"Come over tonight, around seven?"

"Sure. But now I have to go." She said, standing up.

"Go? Where?" He said, completely confused.

"I need to go shopping!" She said as if it were common knowledge.

"Shopping? We're just having dinner!" He said as he pulled her back to the bench.

"Of course we're having dinner, I need to test out your cooking abilities. But maybe," She said with a smile. "Maybe tonight will be special for a different reason." She gave him a long kiss and left it at that. "I'll see you tonight. At seven!" She yelled back to him. As he sat down, his thoughts went back to another night involving a bench years before. His stomach was doing the same flips. He shrugged off the sense of déjà vu. What is it about this girl and benches? He thought as he started the short walk home.

OOOOO

Rory was walking out of the store with a couple of bags in her hands when her cell phone rang. She managed to fish it out of her purse and open it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey. What's up?" It was Jess.

"Well, I'm currently coming home from a shopping spree and my hands are a little full. Do you mind if I call you back?"

"Sure. Or I could just help you carry them home." He said as he walked up behind her. She didn't need to turn around to see the huge grin on his face. She hung up her phone and dropped her bags.

"You are cruel." She said with a smile. "But I have to admit, that was pretty good."

"I try." He said as he picked up her bags. "So, what's the occasion?"

"I have a big date tonight with Tristan. Why are you in Hartford?"

"There's a record store around the corner that has some really great rare stuff. I pop in from time to time to look around."

"I should have known." She rolled her eyes.

"So when am I going to meet this guy? You've been pretty good at hiding him from the whole family." He tried to slide it into the conversation, but Rory knew him better than that.

"Jess, are you being protective of me?" She said, mocking his concern.

"Well I just want to make sure he actually exists." Rory scoffed at him. "And maybe I'm a little protective of you." He admitted. "Can you blame me after the car crash that was your last relationship? If I remember correctly, I was the one picking up your pieces." Rory looked at her feet.

"And I'm very thankful for that. Still, it's kind of nice just being able to keep him to myself for awhile. Especially since we are getting to know each other again."

"I understand that, but you can't hide him forever." He said, pointing his finger at her.

"Enough about me. Let's focus on you. How is your love life going?" She asked. "Oh that's right. You don't have one."

"Ouch." His face scrunched up at her frankness. "Ok, so it's been awhile since I've had a real relationship." Rory gave him a look. "Ok. It's been a long time."

"A really long time. You can't keep having these flings forever."

"Can you keep a secret?" She nodded. "What if I told you I was seeing someone?" Rory stopped walking. He had a huge grin on his face.

"For how long?" Her eyes got big.

"Don't freak out." He said.

"Jess!"

"A couple weeks?" He offered.

"Seriously?" She eyed him.

"Ok, so a month." He said with a grin. He started walking again.

"JESS! Why didn't you tell me?" Rory stayed exactly where she was.

"It's kind of nice just being able to keep her to myself for awhile?" He said, throwing her words back at her. Rory caught up and grabbed his sleeve.

"What's her name? Where did you meet her? I want lots of details!" She said, still slightly shell-shocked.

"Anna. She works at the record store around the corner." He said, laughing.

"Oh my god." Rory put her hands over her eyes. "So is it serious?"

"It's not serious yet. It's not a fling either. We're just...dating."

"Ok." She paused to let the information sink it. "This is me." She took the stuff out of his hands and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for everything."

"You aren't letting me come up?" He flashed a puppy dog face.

"Do you want to watch me get ready for my date?" He gave her a disgusted face.

"Touché." He said. She waved goodbye as she entered the building.

OOOOO

Tristan was finishing setting the table when he heard a knock on the door.

"It's open!" He yelled from the kitchen. It was then that he heard a scurrying of footsteps.

"Uncle Twistan!" He turned around to see Izzy and Rob.

"Hey baby girl!" He looked at Rob, who was looking around the kitchen.

"Planning a candlelight dinner for two with your niece?" Tristan looked at the calendar.

"Oh my god. I completely forgot." He said. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok, I can call someone else. You've obviously got plans."

"No. It's fine. Rory was just coming over, but she'll understand." He went for the phone right as another knock came from the front door. He went to the door instead. Sure enough, there stood Rory in a gorgeous blue sundress.

"Wow. You look beautiful. Unfortunately, there's a situation." He said, looking slightly panicked.

"Uh-oh. What happened?" she asked as she walked in.

"Rory!" Izzy came running from the kitchen. Rory looked at Tristan.

"I completely forgot until they showed up a few minutes ago." He said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Tristan, you don't have to do this." Rob said, as he too came out of the kitchen. "I can call someone else." Rory picked up Izzy and spoke for Tristan.

"Oh, don't worry about it. We'll have fun. Won't we Izzy?" She nodded her head. "Come on, let's go see if Uncle Tristan has cooked something special for dinner." As soon as Rory left the room, Rob gave Tristan another look.

"It's fine." Tristan said with a sigh.

"Are you sure? Because it definitely looked like something major was going on tonight."

"Really, don't worry about it. Go to your business… thing. We'll be fine." Tristan said.

"Ok, well if you need anything call the cell. Or if you just want to talk, whatever. I need any reason to cut this meeting short. I'll be back around nine, nine-thirty."

"Ok Dad, leave already." Tristan joked as he pushed Rob out the door. Tristan shut the door and sighed as he leaned against the back of it. He looked up towards the ceiling and silently questioned his fate. "Why me?" He muttered.

OOOOO

Tristan found Rory and Izzy in the living room after supper putting a puzzle together. Actually, Rory was putting the puzzle together and Izzy was watching with amusement. He smiled at the sight. His two favorite girls. Tristan took a mental picture and he finally realized… he loved her. Rory looked up and smiled at him.

"Hey. Stop staring into space and help me put this puzzle together." She giggled. He smiled at her.

"Of course," he sat down and Izzy immediately jumped into his lap. Rory laughed and went back to putting the puzzle together.

"Uncle Tristan?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Are you and Rory married?" Rory dropped her puzzle piece and threw her hand over her mouth. She stifled a laugh but couldn't control the smile that graced her lips. Tristan looked at her with shock.

"No honey, we aren't married."

"But you kiss."

"Yes, Rory and I are dating. That means that we don't live together and we don't have any kids. We just are really good friends." He winked at Rory, who was secretly applauding him in her head. He knew exactly how to handle children and it was an admirable quality. She had no idea what she would have said.

"Are you going to get married?" Rory looked at Tristan, seeing how he was going to play this off. Tristan smiled at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"No, not right now." He said. "Come on Iz, let's get you into bed huh?" He picked her up and she started giggling.

"I want Rory." Tristan stopped and looked at her.

"You want Rory to read to you?" He always read to her. Izzy nodded her head and he looked over her head at Rory. She smiled and touched her heart.

"Oh, I would love to read to you. Come on, I'll help you get your pajamas on." She took her from Tristan and carried her into the guest bedroom. Tristan followed, saying goodnight to the girls and kissing each of them on the nose.

Half an hour later, Tristan hadn't seen Rory emerge from the bedroom. He went in to check on them and Rory was lying next to a sleeping Izzy.

"She just fell asleep." She mouthed as she got up off the bed. Tristan had to laugh, she was looking absolutely gorgeous in a beautiful dress and yet she was sleeping with a three-year-old instead of with him. Oh my god the irony, he thought.

Forty-five minutes later, Catherine showed up to pick up Izzy and Rory and Tristan were left alone at last.

"Hi." Rory whispered as she walked over to him.

"Hi." Tristan wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." She ran her fingernails over the skin on the back of his neck, sending shivers all over his skin.

"It's ok." She said sincerely. Tristan pulled away from her for a second as he grabbed a remote off of the coffee table. He pushed a button and slowly, the room filled with soft music. He turned down the lights and walked back over to her.

"Dance with me." He said, pulling her back in his arms. She put her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, soaking in the moment. She could smell the scent of his soap, lingering on his skin. His breath was warm on her ear. "I love you." He said quietly. Rory pulled away. In his eyes, Rory saw the depth and devotion she felt.

"I love you too." She smiled. He leaned in slowly and kissed her. It was a long, slow, and passionate kiss that had both of their heads spinning. Rory pulled away and slid her finger into his belt loop. She walked backward, slowly tugging him to his bedroom. Tristan shut the door behind him as Rory started undoing the buttons on his shirt. He kissed her neck and unzipped the back of her dress. She stepped out of her dress and tossed it over the back of the chair. She crawled onto the bed and watched as he unzipped his pants and lifted his white wife beater over his head. She smiled wickedly at the sight of him in his boxers. She nodded towards the space next to her and he joined her on his giant king sized bed. Rory slid her knees up to his hips and straddled him.

"I want you." She whispered, her breath hot and heavy in his ear. She nibbled on it and pressed her scantily clad body against him. He reached around and unhooked her bra, finally letting his mind flash back to the memories he had been trying so hard to repress. He kissed her and chewed on her lip. She let out a soft moan and ground into him. He quickly turned her over onto her back and removed their last remaining clothes.

"God you're gorgeous." He paused a moment to gaze at her naked body and then smirked an approval. He slid a finger down the side of her torso, outlining the curves of her body. Before he had time to think about the whole scenario, Rory pulled him in for another round of hot wet kisses that reminded him exactly why they were there. She needed him in a way she had never experienced before.

"Please…Tristan." Was all she could get out as she pushed herself against Tristan. She was going crazy and she needed some release. Her begging was enough to drive Tristan insane. He tested her with his finger and found she was soaking wet. He grabbed a condom out of his bedside drawer and Rory slid it onto him. He positioned himself over her and with a kiss, entered her. Rory let out a gasp as he started moving inside her. "Oh God." She moaned as she matched his rhythm. "Oh. Yes! Tristan!" She cried, unable to control herself; she was completely overwhelmed. Faster and faster she moved with him until she finally came with a shriek of pleasure. Tristan followed and fell beside her. He watched as she touched her neck and chest, her eyes still cloudy with desire. They laid there awhile in silence, catching their breath and trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"That was…thank you." Rory said as her eyes started to well up. Tristan glanced over at her and did a double take.

"Hey, come here." He said, gently pulling her over to him. She laid her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea why I'm crying. I'm just so…" She stopped, unable to come up with the words she needed.

"I know." He held her close. "I love you." He said again kissing her forehead.

"I love you too. And trust me, it wasn't crying material." She joked, reminding him of their first kiss. He laughed and wiped away her tears.

"You can cry, just don't run away this time." He said, only half-kidding.

"I won't run away if you don't get shipped off to military school." She said, completely meaning it to be a joke. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized what she had said. North Carolina wasn't a joke; it was still the reason he was going to leave. They had never discussed it, and Rory had almost forgotten that he was leaving again.

"Rory…" She put a finger on his lips.

"Shh. Not tonight. We've got a month to figure out what we are going to do. Right now, let's just enjoy this moment." However, the moment had definitely changed, just as their relationship had changed. Tristan couldn't help but wonder about his future. He never wanted Rory to leave his arms, let alone be across the country without him. Truthfully, he had been toying with the idea of going to Yale, simply to get away from Emily. And he knew it would be better for him in the long run, but he didn't want to apply for the same reason he left before. His father and his grandfather went to Yale. Every fiber in his being was saying 'Don't become your father, don't follow in his footsteps.' Then he looked down at Rory, sleeping on his chest. And he thought of Izzy. She had grown up so fast since he had last seen her. He didn't want to miss out on her life anymore than he wanted to leave Rory. They were going to have to talk about it sooner or later. He would bring it up tomorrow, ask Rory her opinions on the subject. But for now, he was going to sleep and dream about the woman in his arms.


	7. Recreating

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Gilmore Girls.

A/N: This chapter is a little longer, plus I rewrote it a hundred times. That's why it took so long. Sorry!

The next morning, Rory woke up from the best sleep she had ever had. She turned to see if Tristan was awake yet and found that he was gone. She sat up and looked around, clutching his sheets to her bare chest.

"Good morning." He said as he walked in with food.

"Hi. Where have you been?" She asked, still groggy.

"I went down to the café on the corner to get breakfast. Coffee?" He offered her with a smile.

"Yes please." She said taking the cup out of his hand. "Mmm, this is good!" He sat down on the bed next to her.

"Rory, can I talk to you about last night?" She looked at him, knowing that nothing good could come from those words.

"Sure." She said as she set down her coffee. She got up and put on her clothes, thankful she had stuff at Tristan's.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting dressed. We are not going to have this conversation while I'm naked." She said, as if it was common sense. He laughed nervously and ran his hand through his hair. "Ok, continue." She said, once she had finished.

"I want to go to Yale." He said hesitantly.

"I sense a But coming." She predicted.

"But," He said with a smile, "at the same time, a part of me is saying that if I go to Yale, I would be throwing myself into a world that I've tried so hard to get out of."

"I understand that." She said as she put her hand on his knee.

"Do you? Because my entire life has been set out since before I was born. I was supposed to go to Yale, become a businessman like my father and take over the family business. This was my life. I had no say in the matter. And then I got to North Carolina, and I had to make all the decisions and for the first time in my life, I felt like a human being." Rory saw how much this decision was confusing him. She had seen that face before. When her mother was forced to ask her grandparents for money for her education.

"Tristan, look at me." She said, moving his face with her finger. "If you want to go to Yale, then make that decision. You have the power to do whatever you want to do. Your father has no say in your life anymore. You're an adult now. And I especially don't want you to feel like you have to come to Yale because of me. I want you to be happy. And we can make this work wherever we are." She wove her fingers through his.

"No, I want to. Not just because I can't stand the thought of being away from you, but because my family is here and it would be the best move for my education. I guess I just need you to tell me to get over my adolescent paranoia and do it already." She laughed.

"Come here." She fell back on the bed and he followed her. Their hands still entwined; they lay there for awhile. "Do you trust me?" She asked him.

"Of course I trust you." He sat up, concerned that she would think otherwise. "That's why I'm asking your opinion."

"And I trust you to make the right decision." She said with a smile. "You just have to trust yourself." She sat up with him. "I love you, but you have to make this decision on your own. You're an intelligent and insightful person. I don't understand why you are so insecure about this." She gave him a kiss on the forehead and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Thanks," he muttered to the empty room. It was then that he realized that Rory had left the bathroom door ajar. His curiosity got the better of him and he walked into the bathroom, knowing exactly how to make himself feel better. He shut the door and Rory peered over the shoulder-length glass.

"Relapsing into past behavior are we?" He couldn't see her body due to the steam that was now enveloping the whole shower.

"What do you mean?" He asked her innocently. He took off his clothes and opened the shower door. Rory shivered at the cold air that was allowed in with him.

"Using sex to take your mind off of your family. It's like we're in high school again." She said with a giggle. He stood behind her and moved his hand across her stomach.

"Would we be doing this in high school?" He asked as he kissed the back of her neck.

"Maybe in your dreams." She said with a smirk. Tristan spun her around to face him.

"Every night." He said with a kiss.

OOOOO

"Next time, you're getting a shrink." She said as she walked out of the bathroom.

"I had one, she wasn't nearly as good as you." He winked. Rory rolled her eyes.

"You know, I can't even tell if that's a joke or not. And I don't want to know." Rory's cell phone started ringing before Tristan had a chance to answer.

"Saved by the bell." He said as she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Rory, it's Cat."

"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm wonderful. Well, I was just calling to ask if you are you coming on Saturday to the barbecue?"

"Um, I'm not sure. When exactly is it?"

"He didn't tell you?! Oh my God, that is so typical. You must be completely confused, let me start over. Tristan's 20th birthday is on Saturday and we always throw a barbecue at our house to celebrate. He usually doesn't tell anyone and comes alone, but I just figured since you were dating, you would be attending. I don't know why, but Tristan doesn't like to make a big deal out of it." She stared at Tristan, who innocently mouthed the word what?

"Well, I'll be sure to bring it up." She smiled.

"Oh Good! Anyway it's at twelve-thirty and you don't have to bring anything, just yourself."

"Ok. I'll probably see you there."

"Great, thanks Rory."

"Bye." Rory couldn't believe he hadn't told her that it was going to be his birthday in a week! Who does that? She thought about it for awhile. This meant that she had to get him a birthday present.

"Who was that?" He asked.

"That was your sister." Tristan gave her a face. "She wanted to know if I was coming on Saturday. And I had no idea what she was talking about." Rory said as she turned away from him.

"Oh my god, the barbecue! I completely forgot."

"She told me that you didn't like to celebrate your birthday?!"

"I don't mind the actual celebrating, but I've never found the point in celebrating the fact that you made it another year."

"Well that's about the cheeriest thing I've ever heard." She deadpanned. She sat down on the bed and he walked over to her.

"Well, are you coming to my birthday party?" He asked. He started at her legs and moved up towards her.

"Don't beg, you should have told me." She said seriously. "How can I arrange your birthday present if you don't tell me it's your freaking birthday?"

"You don't have to get me a present." He said, mere centimeters away from her lips.

"Hey, don't reject it. You don't even know what it is yet." He kissed her.

"You are my present." He said, kissing her neck.

"But something tells me you don't want me gift-wrapped." She said with a giggle.

OOOOO

Rory and Tristan drove into a long driveway.

"This place is really nice." Rory said with a shake of her head.

"Well, it's what you get when you stay in the DuGray's good graces." Tristan said with a smile. They walked around the house and into the backyard, which was just as palatial as the actual house.

"Izzy, look who's here!" Cat said as they walked towards them.

"Rory! Tristan!" She ran over and gave them huge hugs. "I drew you a picture for your birthday." She said as she tugged on his arm. "Come look!"

"Ok, ok. I'm coming!" He said as she pulled him inside the house. Rory gave Cat a hug and started to help set up the picnic table.

"I'm here!" Finn's voice echoed throughout the backyard as he stepped through the patio door.

"Hey Finn." Rory said as she gave him a hug.

"Hello love. Where's the birthday boy?"

"Inside with his niece. By the way, this is Cat, Tristan's sister." She motioned to her left.

"Nice to meet you." She said as she shook his hand.

"You too." Tristan walked out and wrapped his arm around Finn's neck.

"Hey, Happy Birthday." Finn said as he handed him a present. "Although I suggest you don't open it until later." He winked. Tristan laughed.

"Gotcha." He set the present down.

"So, who's ready to eat?" Rob came out of the house with a plate loaded up with food.

"ME!" Cried Izzy. They all laughed and settled in for a good meal.

After dinner, Rory and Izzy went off to play with some of her "outside toys" as she lovingly referred to them. Cat and Rob were cleaning up, against Tristan's demands to help. Instead, he and Finn continued talking. They were right in the middle of a conversation when Finn became distracted.

"Bloody Hell." Finn said as his eyes went beyond Tristan.

Tristan turned around to see what he was talking about. Rory was teaching Izzy to Hula-hoop. With every 'Swish' of the Hula-hoop, Tristan was getting a little more turned on. "God bless whoever invented the Hula-hoop." Finn said, with a glance towards the sky.

"Amen." Tristan replied.

"Something tells me she's done that before." Tristan gave him a dirty look. "What?!" He replied innocently.

"That's my girlfriend if you don't mind."

"Well if that were my girlfriend, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you." He said matter of factly. Tristan went to say something but decided against it.

"Uncle Tristan! Look! I can Hula hoop!" Izzy said as her Hula hoop turned once and fell directly to the ground.

"Good job Iz!" He said with a laugh. Rory came over and sat down next to the men.

"It's been way too long since I've done that." She said as she smiled at them. Finn started laughing and Tristan tried to control his grin as he threw an empty cup at him. "Did I miss something?" she asked.

OOOOO

Later that night, Rory had to leave early for a dinner with her grandparents. Finn was driving Tristan back to his apartment.

"So you can open your present when we stop the car." Finn said as he drove right past Tristan's building.

"Um, Finn? That's our corner." He said.

"Not tonight mate." He said as he kept driving. He drove up to a building that Tristan never wanted to see again.

"Chilton?" He asked incredulously.

"Open your present." It was a note. _You wanted a second chance. I'm inside. You'll know where to find me._ It was in Rory's handwriting. He moved the paper and inside the box was his old uniform.

"Do better this time." Was all Finn said as he opened Tristan's door. He walked up the steps, not knowing what to expect. He opened the door and found the nearest bathroom and changed into his uniform. It miraculously still fit. He loosened his tie, because he always hated the thing. Then it dawned on him, Rory must be in her uniform somewhere. The only question was, where was she? He thought about all the places she would be. He started with her old locker.

Rory waited in the hallway. She wanted to see the look on his face when he walked out. She had to admit, she looked sixteen again. This had probably one of Tristan's fantasies for as long as she knew him. She was leaning against her old locker. She hoped he would get here soon. She was getting bored. Just then, he appeared around the corner.

"Oh my god." Was all he could say as he walked over to her. Her skirt was a little shorter than it used to be, but it was still long enough that it teased him when she walked.

"Look at you. You're a drooling seventeen-year-old all over again. I remember that look." She said with a giggle. "Go ahead, call me Mary." She said.

"Oh I'm going to be calling you Mary all night." She smiled. "Where did you come up with all this?" He asked.

"I have my sources." She said with a smirk. Tristan immediately lost all his willpower. "Besides, lately it seemed we have been talking a lot about what might have been and about high school. I figured we needed some closure."

"Closure?" He asked. Rory ignored him and kept on talking.

"So, if I remember correctly, you wanted to push me up against my locker." She said, recalling his earlier words. He looked her over, a million memories rushing towards him.

"Oh I'm going to love this." He said as he put his hand next to her head, towering over her. She looked up at him with her huge blue eyes. He leaned in and kissed her, she didn't kiss back at first, letting him feel his way around her mouth. When she did kiss back, she did so lightly as if she was still the naïve and inexperienced sixteen year old. He pulled away and she opened her eyes.

"Was that everything you hoped it would be?" She asked.

"Yes it was." He said satisfactorily. "Hey but this shouldn't just be my present. Don't you want to do any recreating?"

"Hmm. I'll go into the library and read and you try to shamelessly flirt me out of my skirt." She said, laughter in her voice.

"The library huh? I should have known." He said as he grabbed her hand.

"Tristan, I was kidding. Tristan!" He opened the door to the library and looked around. Rory went over to the tables.

"I used to sit here." She said, pointing out a specific chair. Tristan laughed.

"I remember. I used to make out with girls over here." He said as he walked back into a corner and leaned her against the wall. He kissed her passionately, letting all his teenage hormones come rushing back. She pushed off his blazer and then shrugged her own off. She was about to take off more of her clothes when Tristan stopped her.

"Lunch was only half an hour, we had to move fast." He pushed up his sleeves revealing his tanned, long arms and his long deft fingers. Rory gave him a look.

"Seriously? How did you get girls at all?" Tristan just shrugged.

"Just did. And you're not playing along." She gave in and went back into character. She looked at him innocently. "I've never done this before." She said, playing her role to a T. He smiled.

"Don't worry, we're not going to have sex." He pulled down her underwear, leaving her skirt on. He tested her and found her wet. He ran his fingers across her folds and started playing with her clit. Rory moaned slightly, leaning back against the wall for stability. He kissed her and whispered in her ear "Don't be too loud, we don't want anyone to hear us." She nodded, willing to do anything he wanted at this point. As she started to feel herself climbing, she wrapped her arms around him and gasped quietly into his neck. Her hot breath on his skin was nearly enough to drive him over the edge and he was still wearing all his clothes.

"Oh, that's how." She said, regaining her composure. "Tristan, this isn't fair to you, where next?" Rory asked.

"Your table." His voice horse as he pulled her back over to the study tables. "Lay down." Was all he had to say. Before she knew it, they were both out of their uniforms.

"You're really good at that." She said seriously. He just smirked proudly and continued kissing her. "Tristan?" She asked quietly, remembering that she was supposed to be sixteen.

"Hm?" He said as he kissed her neck.

"You're going to have to talk me through this." He looked at her and shook his head.

"Word whore." He whispered in her ear.

"Not playing along." She threw his words back at him.

"Okay." He thought a minute and then continued. "First I'm going to spread your legs." He whispered as she closed her eyes. She felt his hands slowly moving down her thighs. "Then I'm going to touch you with my fingers ok?" She nodded. He slid a finger into her and her breath hitched. He inserted another finger and rubbed her clit. She was ready. "Ok Mare, if you want to stop, now's the time to say something." He looked at her.

"No, I want this, you." She said as she kissed him.

"I love you." He kissed her as he entered her and she gasped. He started moving slowly, taking his time. She found his rhythm and started moving with him. Tristan's eyes closed as he started to moan. He called out her name and they both came.

"Thank you." She said as he kissed her forehead.

"No, thank you." He said. They got dressed again and Rory remembered something.

"One more stop," she said with a smile. She walked directly to the auditorium door. "Do you remember this?" She asked him.

"Of course I do." He said, wrapping his arms around her. "I didn't want to leave."

"Yeah, but we got to say goodbye." She put her head on his shoulder. "And look at all the good it did. We couldn't have had what we do now back then."

"I guess," he said. "I really don't want to leave you again." He whispered. She looked back at him.

"I don't want you to either." She admitted. Rory had wanted to keep her mouth shut and let him decide what was best for him, but she couldn't lie to him, she wanted him here.

"I applied to transfer to Yale." Rory stared at him. He looked down at the ground and when he brought his eyes back up, he noticed she was tearing up.

"Really?" She said, her voice breaking.

"Really." He said with a smile.

"Thank you." She threw her arms around him.

"Of course, this doesn't mean that I will get in. We can't get our hopes up." Tristan said, trying to convince himself, more than her.

"It's not about getting into Yale," she told him. "It's the fact that you applied. Come on, let's go home. I hate this uniform."

"Really? Because I think I could get used to it." He said as they walked out the door.


	8. Relief

Disclaimer: This is all in my head. Don't sue me.

Tristan ran down the two flights of steps that separated him from Rory. He was supposed to meet her for lunch, but they had never made any specific plans. He figured he would just show up and see what she was in the mood for. He knocked as he opened the door.

"Ror? You here?" Tristan asked as he entered the living room.

"We're in here!" She shouted back.

"Who's we?" Tristan turned the corner to find that Emily Gilmore was sitting at Rory's butcher's block on a barstool. The sight made him laugh out loud in his head, but he maintained his composure and smiled.

"Tristan, you remember my grandmother, Emily." She nodded towards her grandma.

"Of course I do, it's good to see you again." Emily smiled. Tristan loved the fact that she already loved him, it made his job so much easier.

"I was shopping in the neighborhood and I thought I would drop by. In fact, Rory was just telling me that you applied to transfer to Yale. I must say I think it is a wonderful idea." Tristan smiled. While he wanted to go to Yale and he definitely wanted to stay with Rory, he was trying to keep his hopes under control until he found out if he was accepted or not.

"Me too." Rory said with a smile and a wink towards Tristan. He just kept smiling.

"Are you two planning on moving in together?" She asked Tristan.

"Well, if I get accepted."

"When." Rory playfully cut him off.

"_If_ I get accepted," Tristan continued, completely ignoring her, "we'll have to see. I know that Rory already has a place with Paris and we haven't really discussed it yet. And finding something close to campus is always an interesting adventure."

"I see." Emily said, looking at Rory's confused face. "Well, I will leave you two alone. I'm sure you have plans for today. It was nice seeing you Tristan."

"You too Emily."

"Let me walk you to the door." Rory said as she gave Tristan a look. He knew what was coming. As she walked back into the kitchen, she had fire in her eyes.

"Go ahead." Tristan said, giving her the floor.

"What the Hell was that?" She stared him down. "We'll have to see, Rory already has a roommate? Seriously?!"

"Rory, we don't even know if I'm actually attending Yale yet. We haven't discussed it, we haven't even mentioned it! I can't make any plans until I know what's going on." Tristan got up and moved to the living room. He didn't want to fight with her. He got halfway there when he heard her comment.

"Well you could pretend to act remotely interested in the idea for my sake." She said bitterly. He turned around to face her

"Right, and when I don't get in and you're heartbroken and crying because I told you it was all going to work out, who gets blamed? Me. I just don't want you to get your hopes up."

"Get my hopes up? You're acting like you already know you weren't accepted."

"Well, I'm not going to guarantee it just to make you feel better!" He raised his voice.

"That's it. Get out." Rory said as she opened the door. "I can't talk to you when you're like this."

"Rory."

"I'm serious." She nodded towards the open door. He walked out and she slammed it in his face. Tears immediately began flowing out of her as she slumped against the back of the door.

OOOOO

Later that night, there was a huge thunderstorm. Tristan still hadn't tried to talk to Rory. He figured she needed some space. The sound and the power of the storm only reminded him of their fight that morning. With each clap of thunder and bright shot of lightening, he winced as he recalled his earlier words with guilt. He wasn't sorry for the things he said, but he knew that he handled the whole situation wrong. Just then, the lights went out. It figures, he thought. He grabbed his keys and a flashlight and stared at them for awhile. Get over it, he said as his pride finally broke down and he went to check on Rory. He knocked on her door but was surprised when someone else answered. He looked familiar but Tristan couldn't place him. It was then that he noticed that this person wasn't wearing a shirt, and the sweatpants that he was wearing belonged to Tristan.

"I should have figured it was you." The man said as walked away. Rory's coffee table was covered in different sized candles.

"Do we know each other?" Tristan asked as he entered the room.

"Jess." He said as he stretched out his hand.

"Oh, of course. Nice to finally meet you." Tristan said with a smile. "Care to tell me why you are wearing my clothes?"

"I walked over here in the rain, Rory put my stuff in the dryer and gave me this but then." He gestured to the lights.

"The power went out. Where is Rory?" He said as he looked around.

"She's in the bedroom, I think she stopped crying though." He said with a bite.

"I deserved that. Do you think she'll kill me if I walk in there."

"I wouldn't do it."

"Yeah but she loves me."

"You still sure about that?" Jess said as he raised his eyebrow. Tristan rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch next to him.

"It's our first fight." He explained. "Here," he handed him his keys and his flashlight. "I live in 4G. Go get yourself some clothes, food, whatever. I'm going to be here awhile." Jess laughed as he took the keys. "Besides if I'm going to get yelled at, I want to do it in private."

"I think you and I are going to get along just fine." He walked towards the door. "Oh and don't worry, the make-up sex is totally worth it." He said as he walked out. Tristan laughed a little, hoping that he was right. He sat there awhile before he knocked on Rory's bedroom door.

"Ror? It's me." He paused to take a breath. "I know you probably don't want to talk to me right now. But I'm sorry for the way I handled things this afternoon." Rory sat up and walked over towards the door. "I met Jess, he seems cool. I already see why you guys are friends." She didn't want to smile at his words, but she did anyway. Why couldn't she stay angry with him? He looked down at his feet. "Anyway, he's camping out at my place. So when you're ready, I'll be out here." She opened the door. Tristan looked up and almost broke down at the sight of her. She was biting her lip and her eyes were red and puffy. She threw her arms around him and started crying again.

"I'm sorry." She said into his neck.

"Shh. No, it was totally my fault. I shouldn't have reacted like that." She finally let him go and looked into his eyes. "Are we ok?" He asked her. She nodded and moved towards the couch. He pulled her back and held her some more. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at him with her big blue eyes. "I love you." He whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

"I know. Let's never fight again, ok?"

"Deal." Tristan pulled her into her bedroom and shut the door.

OOOOO

Rory drew the covers up to her chest and sighed. She had always heard that make-up sex was fantastic, but she had never fought with Will. Now she was wondering why she hadn't. Tristan ran his lips over her bare shoulder and made her shiver. She turned to face him and found herself inches from his lips.

"So maybe we can fight a little bit." She admitted with a giggle. He laughed and pulled her in closer.

"Let's not." He said. The dark sky was finally starting to clear, revealing the summer stars.

"I hate storms." Rory admitted. Tristan looked at her with a curious smile.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just always have. They're so…angry. And loud."

"Well when you put it that way."

"Shut up. Why do you think Jess came over? He knows that I'm scared of storms."

"Wait. You just went from hating storms to being scared of them. Which is it?" She looked away from him. "You're scared of storms. No big deal, I just need to know these things."

"Why?" She was honestly curious at his statement.

"Because next time, I'll be the one to come over and save the day." She smiled.

"I'd like that." She kissed him. "Speaking of Jess, whatever happened to him?"

"I have no idea. He went to my place a couple hours ago, chances are he either left or he is sitting on my couch, in my clothes, eating my food."

"Knowing Jess, he's probably sitting on your couch, mocking your taste in music, and reading your books." Tristan rolled his eyes.

"You are probably right."

"Of course I'm right." She smiled at him. He didn't know why but all of a sudden his heart fell in his chest. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked him.

"I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm sorry too. We've already done this part." She said with a giggle as she went to kiss his neck. He pulled away from her and frowned.

"No, I'm really sorry. I can't believe I acted the way I did. I don't know what's wrong with me. You shouldn't have to put up with that."

"Tristan! What's going on? It wasn't that big of a deal, we had a fight, it happens." She tilted her head as she questioned him.

"I just…" he was searching for any words but the ones he needed to say. "I acted like my father today." Rory wanted to pull him towards her but he got out of bed.

"Tristan, stop. Come back to bed." She said as he started getting dressed. "I'm naked, and I'm saying I love you and you want to leave?" She tried to make a joke but he didn't laugh.

"I've got to go. I need some time to figure this out." Before he could leave, Rory got out of bed and blocked the door. Tristan heard the lock click as Rory kept her free hand on his arm.

"You're not going anywhere." She said with a serious look on her face.

"Rory, stop." She just shook her head.

"Tristan, look at me." She turned his chin with her finger. He finally made eye contact. "You are not your father, you could never be your father. You are nervous and frustrated that you haven't heard back from Yale yet. You took your nervous energy out on me. And that's fine, I really don't mind. No one's perfect, we all make mistakes, but so help me God if you walk out this door." She paused. "Please don't make me finish that thought." He stared into her eyes and he thought about what he needed. And his answer wasn't time away from her.

"Of course you're perfect." He said, still upset. "You will always be perfect." She took her hand off the doorknob and he reached out for her. He took her hand and kissed her palm. She smiled.

"Much better. Now come back to bed, and let's let this awful day finally end, hmm?"

"Absolutely." Tristan said. He kissed her and welcomed the comfortable blank sensation that washed over his troubled mind.

OOOOO

Rory was sitting on her couch reading when Tristan came bounding into her apartment one afternoon.

"Ror. I got it." was all he had to say as he held up an envelope.

"Well! Don't just stand there! Open the damn thing!" She said, just as nervous as he was. He looked at it.

"I can't. What if it's a no?"

"What if it's a yes?" She countered. He handed it to her.

"You do it." She opened it up and scanned the first couple lines.

"Dear Mr. Dugrey." She mumbled to herself.

"Come on! What does it say? Is it bad?" Her face fell.

"I'm so sorry Tristan." She said as she folded up the letter and handed it back to him. He cast his eyes to the floor and he ran his hand through his hair. "Only half of your classes transferred, you're going to have to take some of them again!"

"I'm in?!" He said almost in a state of disbelief.

"You're in!" Her eyes lit up as he grabbed her and spun her around. "I knew you could do it!" She squealed as he put her down. "I knew it." She said quietly as his lips rested mere centimeters from her own. He kissed her for all he was worth and she giggled again.

"Thank you." He said as he finally pulled away from her.

"For what?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows at him.

"For everything." She smiled at him.

"Come on, this requires a celebration!" She grinned and clapped her hands together. Tristan rolled his eyes as she reached for her phone. "Hello Finn? Operation: Drunken Bulldog has commenced."


	9. Restaurants and Recorded Messages

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys. You made my day. I thought about making this part of Chapter 8 but instead I added a lot more to it and split it up. I hope you like it!

Tristan walked into his apartment shuffling through his mail. He threw his keys on the counter and hit his answering machine button and listened for the messages.

"Message One, Call time 12:54 PM." Tristan checked the clock; he must have just missed it.

"Hello Tristan, this is your father." Tristan stopped dead in his tracks. "Congratulations. I heard the wonderful news and your mother and I are planning a party to celebrate. I'm sure you'll get an invitation in the mail. You made the right decision son." He threw down the mail in his hand and deleted the message. How did he find out already? He had only told Rory and…Oh God. He picked up his keys and was out the door again.

OOOO

"I'm sorry." Cat said as he slammed his car door and walked towards her house.

"How could you do this Cat! You, of all people should know better." Tristan couldn't even look at her right now.

"It just sort of slipped out, and besides he was going to have to find out eventually."

"No, he didn't. Grandpa left me the money for my college tuition. Dad has nothing to do with this." They walked into the foyer and headed for the kitchen.

"He's on the Alumni board Tris, of course he was going to find out." Cat paused. "Look, I know you're mad, and I don't blame you. But you cannot let him get to you like this. Just forget about Dad and focus on your own life!"

"He's throwing me a party, Catherine! Like this was all his idea, like he gives a fuck!"

"Tristan!" She grabbed on to his arm. "If it bothers you that much just don't go."

"I have to. It's for me." He said calming down a little. His hands swept through his hair. "Rory's grandparents are going to be there. There's no way around it."

"So show up with Rory, dance, smile, then leave. I promise that we'll try and get you out of there as soon as possible." She put on her begging face. "Please don't be mad at me, not today." His anger finally wavered out of sheer exhaustion.

"I'm not mad at you. I'm just frustrated with our stupid family."

"Well that is to be expected." She threw her arms around her much taller little brother. "I love you."

"I love you too." He grumbled.

"Now, go find Rory and tell her the news." She pushed him out the back door. "I've got stuff to do."

"For what?" He asked, curious as to why she was kicking him out of the house.

"I can't tell you yet." She said honestly.

"Can't tell _me_? Your only brother." She shook her head.

"Nope. I have to tell Rob and Iz first." Tristan looked at her. She was acting different. He hadn't seen her act like this since… His eyes got wide.

"Oh my god. Are you pregnant?" He whispered loudly. Cat just grinned.

"I plead the fifth." She laughed as Tristan wrapped his arms around her.

"Catherine! Congratulations!"

"You can't tell anyone. Not a soul until I tell Rob. I just found out today." She stuck out her pinky finger.

"Not even Rory?" Tristan asked, drawing back his own pinky. "She's good at keeping secrets."

"Most women are." She said as she pinky swore with him. "Fine, but no one else."

"Not a soul. I promise!" He said as he hugged her again.

OOOOO

"Where are you right now?" He had dialed Rory's number on the way out to the car.

"I'm sitting at home painting my fingernails. Why?" She asked. "Where are you?"

"If I told you that would ruin what I'm about to tell you. You're painting your fingernails?"

"Yeah, you're on speaker."

"Ah. Well, I've got good and bad news. Which would you like first?"

"Bad news first I guess." She replied, curious as to his whereabouts.

"Ok. My father found out about me getting into Yale and he and my mother are throwing a huge Hartford party in order to gloat about their achievements as parents." He waited for her reaction.

"Ok." She answered. "We can deal with that. What's the good news?"

"The good news is top secret. I mean it. Just us. I pinky swore." Rory laughed.

"Well, God forbid you go back on a pinky swear. What is it?" Her interest was totally peaked.

"My sister is pregnant."

"Really?!" Rory said, trying to be surprised. "That's great Tristan!" He heard the change in her voice.

"Oh my God. You knew?!" He said, completely flabbergasted. "How did you know? She only found out today."

"Oh, she knew before today. She just confirmed it." She paused. "I noticed a couple days ago. When I asked her about it, she said she thought so, but she didn't have a doctor's appointment until today. I was going to call her later and find out actually."

"She told me I was the first to know besides her. Now I'm sad." He pouted.

"You were, I just guessed. Girls can see these things. I think it's in our DNA or something." She joked.

"Must be. Hey I'm downtown, want me to pick up something for dinner tonight?"

"Mm, I can't. I have other plans." Tristan stopped at a red light.

"Really?" He was surprised.

"Yeah, I'm getting together with an old college friend who's in town for a wedding this weekend."

"It's not Finn is it?" He joked.

"No, but can we do something after? Maybe have a movie night?"

"A movie night sounds good. Just come up whenever you get home."

"Alright, love you." She said.

"Yep, you too." He replied as he hung up the phone. She hadn't told him anything about her plans. He knew he had nothing to worry about, but it wasn't like Rory to hold back information like that. Or to paint her nails unless it was for something or someone special. He turned the corner as his mind began to race.

Rory hung up the phone. She didn't like lying to Tristan. It's not lying, she thought, it's simply omitting some facts. Then why do I feel so guilty? Her conscience fought back. She finished painting her fingernails and twisted the cap back on the bottle. Maybe I just shouldn't go, she thought. I could tell Tristan that he cancelled at the last minute. But I can't leave him waiting all night either. What did I get myself into?

OOOOO

Rory walked into the restaurant and immediately took in the familiar scent. It had been over a year since she had been here, but nothing had changed. She found her table and smiled.

"Hello Will." She said, completely polite but unwilling to give an inch. He stood up to greet her.

"Rory, I'm glad you showed up. To be honest, I wasn't sure if you would or not."

"To be honest, I wasn't sure either." She sat down and the waiter brought her a menu.

"Well I'm glad you did." He paused. "So, how's your life going?" He was trying to act like nothing ever happened, well Rory was not going to let him forget that easily.

"It's wonderful, and yours?"

"Life's always been good to me. I can't complain." The waiter walked over and poured them both waters.

"What will it be tonight folks?" He took out his pad of tickets.

"I'll have the seafood salad." Rory said, handing him her menu.

"Ok and for you sir?" He turned towards Will.

"I'll have the New York steak, medium rare, and a baked potato. Butter and sour cream please." He said, giving him the menu.

"Ok, thank you." He left and the table was encompassed in a temporarily awkward silence. They soon began talking about classes, politics, and current events. Anything except why they were really there. Halfway through the meal, Rory had decided that enough was enough.

"Why did you bring me here Will?" Rory asked abruptly. "And please, remember that I won't believe a single word you say." He winced.

"Ror,"

"It's Rory." She interrupted him. He just continued.

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I know it was despicable, but I guess I was just feeling, trapped, you know?" Rory just stared at him.

"Then why didn't you just break up with me?"

"I was young and stupid. I had no idea what a good thing I was losing. But I loved you and I couldn't just let you walk out of my life." He stared at her with a look that she remembered all too well. "We had something really good at one time, didn't we?" Rory nodded.

"A long time ago. It was over long before we both realized it."

"When I ran into you this morning, after all this time had passed, I realized how much I had screwed up." Rory had to refrain from rolling her eyes. "I guess what I'm saying is that I miss you and I'm hoping that we can be friends again." Rory looked at him as if he had grown three horns.

"You want to be friends? After a year of no communication, you just want to walk into my life and pick up where things left off? Come on Will, what's going on?"

"Nothing. I just miss you that's all." Rory laughed and took her napkin off her lap and set it on the table.

"Let me help you out here. I'm madly in love with the man of my dreams. We're probably going to get married and have kids and live the perfect life in a big house with a dog. You have absolutely nothing to offer me, and even if you did, I wouldn't be interested." And with that, she stood up and walked out of the restaurant, leaving a stunned Will sitting at the table.

OOOOO

Rory ran up the steps and threw open the door of Tristan's apartment. Her stomach was turning.

"Hey, how was your… dinner?" Tristan slowly trailed off as Rory ran straight to his bathroom. He heard her vomiting from the hallway. He ran in and grabbed her hair, placing his free hand on her forehead. "Mary, you're burning up." She just moaned. "What's wrong?"

"I was fine, until I ate." She laid her head on her arm.

"What did you order Ror?" He asked, wanting her to give the right answer. She threw up again and spit into the toilet.

"Seafood salad." She groaned. Tristan closed his eyes. That wasn't it.

"I hate to say this, but I think you've got a case of food poisoning." She threw up again and he grabbed a glass of water to rinse her mouth out. After awhile, she stopped and he picked her up and carried her to his bed.

"This…This is all my fault." She muttered, barely able to talk.

"Of course it's not, why would you say that?" He asked, convinced she was delusional.

"Because," She paused "I lied to you and I yelled at Will." Tristan just stared at her.

"Wait. When did you see Will?" He said. She nodded.

"I lied. I met him for dinner. I told him…that I loved you and that…he couldn't have me back." Tristan didn't know what to make of her incoherent rambling. "This is karma. I'm a bad girlfriend." She cried, too weak to actually cry.

"Shh, just rest now. We'll talk about this in the morning." But Rory was already asleep. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and turned off the lamp next to the bed. He wanted to ask her so many questions, but what with her being unconscious and all, he tried the next best thing. He picked up Rory's cell phone and called Lorelei.

"Hello, Gilmore House of Pancakes, how may we assist you?" Lorelei answered the phone.

"Hey Lorelei, this is Tristan."

"Tristan! Why do you sound so sad, and why are you calling me on Rory's phone, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, well no. I'm not sure exactly, which is why I'm calling you." Lorelei listened intently as he told her the story of what happened.

"So somewhere along the lines, my daughter met her ex-boyfriend, got food poisoning, and lied to you about meeting him to begin with?"

"Yes, so you can understand my confusion?"

"Yes." She paused. "Well, while I can't tell you why she would ever want to see him again after the awful way he treated her, I know that she does love you. A lot." She emphasized. "And I'm sure that once this bout of food poisoning clears, she will be able to more coherently explain herself. Trust me kid. If she didn't tell you about it, I'm sure that it was only because she didn't want to hurt you."

"I know. It's just not like her, you know? It caught me off-guard."

"Me too. Do you want me to come over?"

"No, there's not really much you can do until she wakes up. But thanks."

"Take good care of my daughter, you're a future doctor so I trust you. But remember, she's my whole world, so whatever happens to her, happens to you." Tristan laughed.

"What a coincidence. She's my whole world too."

"Good answer. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye Lorelei." He hung up the phone. With a yawn, he ran his hands through his hair, rubbing his eyes with the bottom of his palms. He walked into the bedroom. He debated whether or not to sleep in the same bed with Rory in case she was actually sick, but figured he was already susceptible to whatever it was she had. He slipped into the other side of his bed and wrapped his arms around her. Tomorrow this will all be straightened out, at least he hoped so.


	10. Reasons

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Shout out to LoVe23: You inspired me to have Tristan reverting to his past behavior. Everyone else should go check out the story she has going on right now, it's awesome! For those of you who were worried, Rory is NOT going to be pregnant…That's way overdone and personally, I don't like stories that are done like that. I'm also working on another story based on the most recent episode, anyone else think it was ironic that they went to North Carolina? OH SO MANY POSSIBILITIES! I promise it won't interfere with this one, but I had to do it. So, Thanks for all the amazing reviews! Lots of pressure. I hope I don't let you all down. Enjoy!

Rory woke up and realized she was in Tristan's bed, and she didn't remember how she got there. Feeling Tristan lying next to her, she tried to recall the night's previous events. Her body felt like it was made of lead and lifting her head off of the pillow seemed to be too much to ask. She slowly remembered the dinner and the puking her guts out. Oh God. The memories came rushing back with too much clarity. What would Tristan think of all this? Tristan felt her stirring and woke up.

"Hey." He said, his voice deep and still groggy. "How you feeling?"

"My whole body hurts." He sat up and helped her move so she could face him.

"Can I get you anything?" She shook her head. "I'm making you a doctor's appointment today. I'm worried about you."

"About my health or my behavior?" She smiled weakly. Tristan smiled.

"Well at least you're lucid. That's more than I could say last night."

"I'm sorry." Tristan shook his head.

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"No, for going to see Will. I shouldn't have gone. And I definitely should have told you about it."

"You can tell me later. Right now, I want you to rest. Okay?" Rory looked at him.

"I'm not dying Tristan. I mean, I feel like I am, but I'm not actually dying."

"Will you relax and just let me take care of you?" He scolded her. She smiled.

"Sorry." He turned to walk away when her small voice hit his eardrums again. "Just…one more question…are we good?" He turned around and for whatever reason, he felt like he was looking at her for the first time. Her big eyes seemed so blue against her unusually white skin. He walked back over to her and fished a strand of hair out of her eyelashes. The small gesture made her smile.

"You haven't looked at me like this since high school."

"What?" He said, breaking out of his reverie.

"Nothing, I just found my answer." She said. He bent down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you." He said. With a smile and a wink, he walked back out the door.

OOOOO

Tristan took Rory to the doctor and after some tests, discovered that she did have food poisoning. After an IV to keep her hydrated, she was sent home, with some new pills, to rest. Rory wished it was that simple. Although she was feeling better, Tristan was getting on her nerves. Unfortunately, he was studying to be a doctor, which meant that he wouldn't leave Rory alone. Finally she called Jess.

"Hello?"

"Hi! It's Rory."

"I know. What's up?"

"You get the short version. I went out for dinner with Will, which I didn't tell Tristan about and then I got food poisoning, now Tristan won't leave me alone." Jess was blown away.

"Wait, wait, wait. There are so many things in that sentence that could be commented on. First of all, how are you feeling?" Rory rolled her eyes.

"I'm feeling better, the IV helped and I'm on some good drugs."

"YOU HAD AN IV?" Jess was seriously concerned.

"Just to hydrate me, it didn't have any meds in it or anything! You cannot freak out on me too. That's why I'm calling in the first place!"

"Ror, I get to be concerned. Now," he sighed "Do I even want to know why you were out with Will to begin with? Tell me you aren't that stupid."

"I ran into him and ok, I'll admit that I was, a little curious, about his life now. It's not like I was going to do anything with him."

"So what happened?"

"I freaked out on him and told him that he could never have me back." Rory could hear Jess smile over the phone.

"Did you throw water on him? No, tell me you hit him?" He laughed at the image in his head.

"Stop!"

"You know he deserves it. I would have, but you held me back." He said, recalling old memories.

"Yes, that's a lovely walk down memory lane, thanks." She sighed and continued "Anyways, I came back and went straight to Tristan's apartment, ran straight for the bathroom and started puking my guts out."

"Lovely image."

"I know, right? Well, apparently I was delusional and Tristan had no idea what I was talking about when I said the word Will and he freaked out and called mom. Anyway, I'm feeling better, but he's still being the doctor." Jess snickered.

"Well, first of all, I'm sure he can't help himself. He loves you and just wants to take care of you. Plus, don't you think you owe it to him? Just humor him a little."

"I've been humoring him all day. I'm going crazy!"

"Wait, where is he right now?"

"Getting groceries. He made the mistake of looking in my fridge."

"Oops." They both laughed. "Well, I can't help you, I'm back in Philly right now."

"I know, although we have been seeing you a lot more lately."

"Yeah, but the eight hours of driving back and forth is starting to take its toll."

"Uh-oh, time to switch topics. Trouble in paradise?"

"No. Anna and I are fine, in fact, we're more than fine." He paused. "Ror, I think I may be moving to Hartford." Rory covered her mouth in a state of shock. "Say something please?"

"I…I don't know what to say! Don't get me wrong, having you here would be amazing. And you could see Luke more, which he would love but, what about the bookstore?"

"There are bookstores in Hartford."

"Yeah, but not your bookstore!" He laughed.

"There's this space open, it's more of a loft really, and I think that it would be the perfect place to open a new bookstore. I can just move locales. Besides, we do most of our stuff online anyway."

"So, you are doing all this for Anna? You must really love her." There was silence on the other end. "Jess, you have told her you love her, right?"

"Yeah, I mean I'm not a complete idiot at this relationship thing. It's just weird hearing you say it out loud I guess."

"You're a private guy, you always have been. You get that from Luke. I mean, hello, remember Stars Hollow? No one saw the real you. Except me! You've never kept secrets from me! Am I being replaced by Anna?" She asked suspiciously.

"You could never be replaced. Am I being replaced by Tristan?" Rory scoffed.

"Of course not, have you seen his taste in music?" He laughed.

"Ok then. You and me forever, yeah?" She grinned.

"Forever." Tristan walked back into the apartment and saw Rory sitting on the phone. "Tristan's back." She said. "We have to start using our secret code." He glanced at her and shook his head. The sick Rory was even more mischievous than the other one.

"Good, this was getting too mushy for me anyways. I hate you."

"I hope you die cold and alone." She said into the phone as she hung up.

"Who was that?" Tristan asked as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"Jess. Rumor has it that he's thinking about moving to Hartford."

"Really?" Tristan was just as shocked as Rory. "Well, he has been coming here quite a bit." Rory nodded.

"He's in love with Anna." She whispered. "But you don't know that." Tristan crossed his heart and smiled.

"You seem like you're feeling better again." He said as he patted her knee.

"I was feeling better after the doctor's appointment! You just don't like to listen to the patient. You're going to make a great doctor." She said sarcastically.

"Hey now. It's not my fault that I want to see you healthy again. I haven't actually kissed you in days." He said honestly.

"Ah, so the real reason appears!" She said. "Well, I'm thinking that I should be back up and around tomorrow. I have so much to do before school starts."

"Only a couple more weeks." He said. "Although I do wish that you could still be sick for my party this weekend. That would be a great reason not to go."

"You'd still have to go, it's your party, and you're not sick." She laughed at his face. "But don't worry, I'll be there. Just don't show me any fish for awhile."

"You got it." He said with another kiss to the top of her head.

OOOOO

Sure enough, Rory was up and ready to go in time for Saturday night's "Tristan-fest" as she had dubbed it. Tristan showed up at her front door in his Hartford-issued suit and tie while Rory chose to wear a cute summer dress that she had found on sale but never worn.

"You look fantastic!" Tristan said, naturally amazed given that two days ago she couldn't get out of bed.

"Thanks, Honey, I love you too." She said, rolling her eyes.

"You know what I mean." He said.

"I'm feeling much better, and it's amazing what you can do with a little hairspray and make-up." She shrugged. As they walked out of the lobby doors, Rory noticed there was a limo waiting. She looked at Tristan.

"One of the perks." He whispered in her ear. She paused. "Well, get in! It would be rude to ignore the perks." She smiled widely and jumped in the backseat.

"I love that you are right." She said as he joined her. As they drove, Tristan messed with his tie, his hair, and anything else that wasn't tied down to the actual automobile. "Tristan, are we a little nervous?" Rory asked knowingly and flashed him a smile.

"I can't help it. It's a knee-jerk reaction." She grabbed his hand between her own.

"If something goes wrong, we'll just leave, okay? I can have a wave of food poisoning hit me again." Tristan smiled.

"Thanks." They pulled up to Tristan's house and got out of the limo. Cars were lining up everywhere. As they entered, they were met by Cat and Rob. They were both positively glowing with happiness.

"Hey!" Cat said. "I thought you were dying of the plague?" She said as she kissed Tristan's cheek.

"I was, but a little medication and I'm all better!" She said as she gave her skirt a twirl.

"I'm glad." Tristan looked at Rory.

"Oh, but I could come down with something at any moment." She whispered.

"Gotcha." Cat winked and walked away to chat with other people.

"Congrats Dad." Rory said quietly as she nudged Rob. He beamed.

"Thank you. We're really happy."

"You should be!" Rob looked over her shoulder.

"I'm gonna… go find Cat." He said as he pointed behind him. Rory turned and saw Tristan's father approaching. Tristan grabbed Rory's hand and turned to face him.

"Hello you two. Having a good time?" Rory nodded.

"Yes, thank you. Oh, if you'll excuse me, my grandparents just showed up." Tristan clung to her hand as long as he could before she walked away.

"Your mother and I got you a little celebratory present." He handed him an envelope. Assuming there was money inside, Tristan handed it back.

"I don't need your money Dad." He glanced at Rory chatting with her grandparents. She gave him a look.

"You don't know what it is yet. You didn't even open it." Tristan took it back and opened it. Inside was a card with an address and a set of keys. He glanced back at his father. "It's close to campus, don't worry."

"You bought me an apartment?" He asked curiously. "Why would you do that?"

"Because, we are proud of you. Had I known you were applying I could have helped you with this sooner."

"This is great Dad. Thank you." Tristan said awkwardly. "It really wasn't necessary."

"Congratulations Tristan." He said with a pat on the shoulder. He walked away to greet more guests. Tristan stood there awhile longer and put the keys back in the envelope. He wanted to surprise Rory so he put the envelope in his inside his jacket.

"How did it go?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around him. He turned around to face her.

"Surprisingly well. I have no idea how to react." Rory smiled.

"That's good."

"Yeah. How are your grandparents?"

"They're fine, they went off to be social." Tristan grinned.

"Come on, I want to show you something." He grabbed her hand and she followed him up the steps.

"Where are we going?" She asked, unsure. He walked down the hall and opened a door. It was his old bedroom. Rory smiled and walked around. "So this is the infamous DuGray bedroom." It was different than she expected, although she didn't know what she had expected. He shut the door with a quick click of the lock.

"Can I tell you a secret?" He said quietly. Rory nodded. He licked his lips and leaned in. "I've wanted to see you in this room since the first moment I saw you." Rory blushed and grinned at the same time. Being in his old environment brought out his old characteristics, she noticed.

"Oh yeah?" He nodded. "So now that it's become a reality, does it live up to your expectations?" He shook his head and she frowned.

"It's better." He closed the gap between their lips and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he tasted her again. God, he had missed that. He slid his hands to her hips and he heard her moan. She broke their lips and smiled wickedly. Without saying a word, they both started undressing. Rory grabbed his shirt from him and put it on, only buttoning the middle hole. Once he crawled on the bed, she climbed on top of him. He gave her a surprised look.

"If I screw up my hair and makeup, everyone will know what we were doing." She said, as if it were common knowledge. She kissed him again. He laughed out loud.

"This is why I love you." He said with a grin.


	11. Relatives

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, Poptarts, or any other brand name in this chapter!

A/N: You guys rock and you all deserve a cookie and a gold star. In order to pay you back for your wonderful reviews, I threw in some Trory smut, since I left you hanging on the last chapter and this took me way longer than I thought it would to write…Enjoy!

Rory whipped out her purse and started correcting her hair and make-up. Tristan watched her in the mirror. He was still sprawled out on his old bed, hands behind his head and the sheets around his waist. He had no intention of leaving anytime soon. It was ironic that Rory was the one in his room, acting completely different from her old self, yet he was acting just like he used to. He glanced around at his surroundings and recalled all the nights he had laid in this bed, a girl on top of him. He had a weird sense of déjà vu. How many girls had fixed themselves up in that mirror? Too many. How many had he noticed? One. He smiled at her.

"What are you looking at?" She asked him, never turning around, but watching him through the mirror.

"You." He said simply. She smiled, rolled her eyes and went back to perfecting her lip-gloss.

"Come on. It's your party, you're going to miss it." She turned to face him.

"I don't mind." He said, not moving an inch.

"Yeah, but everyone else does."

"No they don't. They probably don't even know why they are here. They just show up, drink, forget the reason they came and go home. Welcome to Hartford."

"Still, you should be there." She said as she took one last glance in the mirror. "Or at least get dressed." She turned around and sat down next to him.

"I guess I'm just hoping that I can change your mind." He said with a smile that oozed charm. She couldn't stop the smile that covered her face. He looked truly happy. The sight made Rory's stomach flip.

"As inviting as that offer is, we should get out there." She leaned in. "I promise, we can pick this up at home." She said with a whisper, her lips brushing his ear. "That is, if you get out of bed." He surprised her by grabbing her waist and tickling her, pulling her close to him. "Tristan! Ah!" She giggled "Stop!" He finally let her go and got out of bed.

"Fine, but you owe me when we get home." He said as he got dressed again.

"Actually, I think you owe me." She said with a wink as she walked out of the door. He closed his eyes and grabbed his chest. She was going to be the death of him.

OOOOO

"Where have you two been?" Rob said with a knowing glint in his eye to Tristan.

"Celebrating." Tristan said with a wink as Rory walked over to see Cat.

"That kind of celebrating is how Iz was born." Rob laughed as Tristan cringed, way too much information about his sister.

"I'm going to repress that and ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"My father bought me a house for deciding to go to Yale." Rob was taking a swig of his drink at the time and nearly spat it back out all over Tristan.

"Where's the question?" He asked, confused.

"How do I tell Rory?"

"Something like, 'Hey, my dad bought me a house.'." He said, blatantly mocking Tristan's girl issues.

"No I'm serious. The only fight we ever had was about moving in together and I don't want to just assume that she is moving in with me. Plus, I don't even know if I want to accept the house. It's a delicate subject."

"I can't help you, man. This is something you gotta do on your own." He said, slapping him on the back. "Welcome to the club."

"What club?"

"The 'I have no idea what I'm supposed to do' club. Population: Every man on the planet."

OOOOO

"So," Rory asked as they entered the lobby. "When are you going to pay me back?" They walked into the elevator and she glanced sideways at Tristan as he hit the button to the fourth floor. He noticed her gaze but didn't answer her. The tension was palpable as the doors closed. Rory was suddenly finding it very hard to breathe. As soon as the doors were shut, Tristan was in front of her. His kiss was hot and passionate, almost overwhelming with need. Rory was more than happy to oblige him. Their tongues dueled for control as the doors opened again and Tristan walked out backwards to his door, never letting go of Rory's lips. She pulled away so he could open the door and once he got his keys in, he pushed his way through the door. Rory shut it and when she turned around Tristan met her with his lips. They dropped their coats and Rory felt Tristan slid his hand up her thigh.

"Tristan." Rory moaned, out of breath. He groaned, kissing her neck and grinding his hips into her, driving her crazy. He needed her now. Moving towards his bedroom, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He laid her down on the edge of the bed, sliding his hands up her thighs again. She unzipped the side of her dress and threw it over her head while Tristan lost his shirt. Rory deftly undid Tristan's belt and climbed higher onto the bed. Her head came down on a pillow as Tristan climbed over her; the friction of his hot skin scraping against her own nearly drove her over the edge. He kissed her nose and worked his way down her shoulders. He wanted to devour her. She arched into him, needing to feel that friction again. He got the hint, bringing his fingers down to rub her clit. Soon, his tongue replaced his fingers. She let out another moan as he teased her. As much as he loved watching her react to his touch, he needed to participate; she was driving him crazy. He slid into her, making her gasp. Rory grabbed onto the headboard behind her and matched his rhythm. She had never experienced anything so intense in her life.

"Ahhh." She called out. For the first time in her life, she was moved beyond words. She couldn't form any sounds but came with a shriek and he followed right behind her, collapsing next to her. They both laid there in silence for awhile, reconfiguring their senses. Tristan glanced over at Rory, who met his gaze. She blushed. She let out a small giggle and they both burst out laughing. He rolled over on his side.

"That was…." He said honestly. She nodded.

"It was."

"And you and I are always," he said, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"I know." She smiled as she cuddled up next to him.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you." She ran her fingers over his skin until they fell asleep.

OOOOO

The next morning, Rory slid out from underneath Tristan's arm. She threw on one of Tristan's shirts and tiptoed out of the room. She saw their coats lying on the floor and laughed. As she picked them up, she noticed something sticking out of Tristan's jacket. She glanced at the bedroom and quickly opened it. Inside was a set of keys. She didn't know what they were to, but she found it odd. She stuck them back in his jacket and started making coffee. The smell of the coffee percolating was enough to draw Tristan out of bed. He smiled as he saw her standing practically naked in his kitchen. He took a mental picture, knowing that when he died, this would be one of those moments that would flash before his eyes. Rory turned around and noticed him and flashed a smile.

"Good morning Sunshine." She said with a giggle and a kiss.

"Mornin'." He said. When he was too tired to notice, he slipped into his southern accent. Rory loved it, but he didn't even realize he did it.

"I'm making breakfast." She said, ripping open the Poptart package in her hand and offering him the other half.

"Thanks."

"Oh, and by the way, I was cleaning up after…ourselves," She smirked, "and an envelope fell out of your jacket pocket." She said nonchalantly glancing over to read his reaction. He looked at her nervously. " Don't worry. I didn't look at it, I just put it back in there."

"I guess I should tell you," He finished pouring himself a cup of coffee and put the pot back in it's rightful place. "My dad bought me a place off campus."

"Really?" She didn't hide the shock that covered her face. Tristan wouldn't take anything from his father, including tuition, so why would he accept a house?

"Yeah, I was going to tell you once I figured everything out. I'm just not sure what I'm doing with it yet."

"Well, aren't you going to use it?" She asked, stating the obvious choice.

"I could, but I don't like taking things from my parents. It usually involves strings."

"Like I have now with my place?" She asked.

"Yeah, only bigger. I just have the feeling that if I take this place, he would hold it over my head for a long time."

"Is it in your name?" He nodded.

"I think so."

"So what harm could he do?"

"Oh, never underestimate my father." Tristan said. Rory sat back and thought about it for a minute.

"I say you do it. You can deal with the issues as they come up. For all you know, there aren't any strings and he is actually just happy to have you going to Yale." He took a sip of his coffee and gave her a look of skepticism, his eyes peeking out from the top of his cup. "There's no harm in taking a look at it." She pointed out.

"You have a point there." He set his cup down on the counter. "Ok. We'll go take a look and if we don't like it, we'll just return the keys." Rory looked at him and smiled.

"If _we_ don't like it?" Tristan glanced at her, wondering how he was going to play this out. He was hoping that she would just play along and agree and they wouldn't have to discuss it.

"Well you're going to live there too, aren't you?" He questioned, as if it were common knowledge.

"You haven't asked me yet." She coyly pointed out. He got the hint. Leave it to a Gilmore to make things more difficult than they had to be.

"Hmm, I guess that is a problem." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Move in with me." She glanced up at him. "Please?" He gave her big puppy dog eyes.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." She said with a giggle.

"Yeah?" He said with a smile. She nodded.

"Yeah."

"Good. Then it's settled." He picked her up and placed her on the counter, the cool marble soothing her hot flesh and sending shivers through her body. She closed her eyes as he began kissing her neck. She felt him slowly undoing the buttons on her stolen shirt. He fumbled with a button as he continued kissing her, forgetting to do two things at once.

"Tristan," she paused, "we eat on this surface." He took a break from kissing her to pick her up and lay her down on the floor.

"Better?" He asked, looking down at her.

"Not exactly what I had in mi…" He cut her off with a kiss. He tasted like coffee, which was enough to make Rory stick around.

"No more talking." Tristan had a look in his eye that Rory knew all too well. He meant business.

"I can't promise anything, if you do your job properly, you just might have me screaming again." She smirked.

"We can only hope." He said, licking his lips.


	12. Recovery

Disclaimer: I do not own "Where the Wild things are".

Tristan and Rory went to see the house the next day. Even Tristan had to admit, it was perfect. Every time he would glance over at Rory she would hide her emotions, but he knew that she really wanted this house. They walked back to the car.

"So, what do you think?" He asked her.

"It's nice," she shrugged.

"You really want it don't you?" He laughed.

"More than anything." She admitted. "But this has nothing to do with me. I am a completely innocent third party. It's your decision."

"I like it too." He paused. "Let's take it."

"Really!?" He nodded. "Oh thank you!" She leaned over the stick shift and gave him a hug.

"When do you want to move in?"

"My lease is up at the end of August."

"That's in two weeks." She nodded.

"Well then, looks like we are going to have a fun two weeks." He said, preparing himself for the hectic time to come.

OOOOO

Within the next week, Tristan had packed or stored everything he owned and moved into Rory's apartment. They figured the moving guys would appreciate it more if they only had to visit one apartment, especially one on a lower level. However, now he was on a mission to find more boxes. Rory had a lot of stuff. He was just about to give up hope when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Tristan, it's Rob. Cat and I are at the hospital." Tristan stopped breathing. "Everything's fine, but she had some pain. They are going to watch her for a little while. Is there any way you could swing by the house and pick up Izzy?"

"Absolutely. Is there anything you need, are you ok?" He asked, doing an illegal U-turn in the middle of the street.

"No, it's probably nothing, but it's better to be safe. I'll meet you there."

OOOOO

"Do I get to sleep there?" Izzy asked as her father packed her suitcase.

"Hello?!" Tristan yelled from the foyer.

"In here!" Rob yelled. "I'm not sure sweetie." Tristan walked in and saw how tired Rob looked. He gave him a pat on the back and grabbed Izzy's hand.

"Hey kiddo."

"I wanna sleep at Uncle Tristan's!" Izzy said, pulling on her uncle's hand.

"Is that ok?" Tristan asked.

"Sure, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't." He picked her up. "We'll have fun. Don't worry." He added as he grabbed her stuff and carried her out to the car.

OOOOO

"Can we read the Monster book?" She asked.

"If you want to, I don't want you to get scared."

"I won't!" Grabbing _Where the Wild Things Are, _Tristan pulled her covers up to her nose.

"Mmhm." He said, not believing her. After finishing the book, he tucked her in.

"Goodnight. I'll eat you up I love you so." Tristan said, nibbling on Izzy's arm. She pulled away, releasing a squeal of delight.

"Goodnight!" He tiptoed out of the room and met Rory in the hallway.

"Hey," she said, noticing for the first time all day how worried he looked.

"They haven't called?" He asked again. She shook her head.

"Come on, let's watch some TV. I'm sure they will call if something changes."

OOOOO

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Rory said with a giggle as she curled up next to Tristan on the couch.

"Oh please, you always steal the covers, blankets, whatever. I wake up in the middle of the night, steal part of them back, only to wake up in the morning without them again." He said, laying the blanket over her.

"I plead the fifth." They settled in on the couch and closed their eyes but soon Izzy came out. She stood next to Tristan for a minute.

"Uncle Tristan?" He opened his eyes and jumped a mile.

"Hey hon, what are you doing up?" He asked as he caught his breath.

"I can't sleep."

"You want me to come in and lie with you?" She nodded. "Ok, let's sneak so we don't wake up Aunt Rory." He picked her up and carried her back to the guest bedroom. "What's up kiddo?"

"I'm scared."

"Of what? Mommy being in the hospital?" He asked. She shook her head and whispered in his ear.

"Monsters." Tristan shook his head in disbelief. He forgot how easy and simple it was to be four. When the scariest thing imaginable was only happening in your head. He should have known this was coming the minute he read her that book. She jumped back in between the sheets.

"Hmm, monsters can be scary." Izzy's eyes peeked out from underneath her blanket. "But you know what? I monster-proofed the house right before you came. I went through all the closets and under the beds and sprayed MonsterSpray everywhere."

"MonsterSpray?" She asked, curious.

"Mmhm, it keeps the monsters away." He said, tired and trying to get her to sleep. He tucked her in better and let out a yawn. "Goodnight munchkin." He turned on the nightlight and lay down next to her.

"Uncle Tristan?"

"Yes Iz." He asked, slightly annoyed and never opening his eyes.

"I love you." She kissed his cheek and laid her head on his chest. He opened his eyes to find hers already closed. His heart overflowed.

"I love you too baby." He said, returning the kiss to her nose. Rory interrupted the moment seconds later.

"Tristan," the worry in her voice was evident. "Rob's here." She said, there was something in her eyes that made Tristan panic. He got up quickly, but remained careful not to disturb Izzy.

"What's wrong?" He asked before he even entered the living room.

"There wasn't anything they could do. It happened so fast." Rob said, his throat thickening.

"What happened?" Tristan needed to hear him say it, despite the fact that Rob couldn't process it. His tongue wouldn't allow him to say it.

"Cat's asleep, they gave her some medication. Tristan, there was so much blood." He stopped before he started crying. Tristan grabbed Rob and took him into the guest bathroom.

"You'll stay here tonight. You need to take a shower and get some sleep too."

"I can't…Cat's alone."

"I'm going to the hospital. It's my turn." Tristan's brother mode kicked in. There wasn't a thing Rob could say to change his mind. Tristan went into the bedroom and grabbed a change of clothes for him. "If you need anything else, Rory will get it."

"Thanks."

"No problem, now go sleep." He said as he left the bathroom. Rory was there to meet him in the hallway.

"I heard." She said. "I'll take care of them. You go." He gave her a kiss of gratitude and was out the door.

OOOOO

Tristan should have took his time. He knew that Cat was sleeping and he would only find her lying in bed. But instead, he was racing to her faster than he ever had. Cat really was the only family he ever had besides his Grandfather, and no one could ever replace that relationship. He ran into the hospital and went to the front desk.

"Catherine Dumont?" He asked.

"She was just moved to OB-GYN, fourth floor." Tristan slapped his hand on the desk as a thank you and ran off again. He took the stairs, not willing to wait in an elevator. He had just emerged from the stairwell when he saw a doctor coming out of the room to his right.

"Catherine Dumont?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm her brother." The doctor nodded in understanding.

"Yes, well she has just woken up. She is pretty groggy from the medication and obviously very emotional. I would take things slow. That can be an interesting combination."

"Thanks." He opened her door and peaked inside her room, not wanting to disturb her.

"Catherine." He whispered to himself, seeing she was crying.

"Tris, I.." He rushed over to her side.

"Shh. I know." He ran his thumb over her cheek, brushing away the tears.

"How's Rob?"

"He's at our house with Izzy. I told him to go get some sleep." She nodded.

"That good huh?" Tristan looked at her, clearly confused. "When things are really bad, you never answer my question. I asked how he was, you tell me where he is and what he is doing. You did it all the time with Gramps." Tristan fought the grin on his lips.

"He was a wreck."

"Me too." She admitted and Tristan pushed her over and climbed into bed next to her. "It was so…traumatic."

"It's all over now." He said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What are we going to tell Iz?" She asked, starting to cry again.

"Shh. I'll do it." He said, barely keeping it together as she cried harder. "God, I'm so sorry." He buried his head in her hair.

OOOOO

When Rob got to the hospital, Tristan and Cat were playing cards. It wasn't the sight he expected.

"Hey." Tristan said as he looked up briefly and returned to their game.

"How are you feeling?" Rob asked Cat with a kiss.

"I'm fine." She said. "Your turn." She motioned to Tristan. He played and then saw Rob's face.

"I'm going to get out of here." He said, "You two need some time alone."

"You're just quitting because I'm winning." Cat said with a laugh.

"You got me." He said, kissing her forehead. "Bye."

"I'll walk you out." Rob said. They left her room and shut the door. "Okay, what is she on?" He asked.

"Denial." Tristan said. "The doctors offered her an anti-depressant but she didn't want to take it."

"It's freaking me out."

"You know Cat. She's tough and stubborn. She's never going to admit that anything's wrong until it all comes crashing down on her at once. And she did cry for hours, maybe she is over it for now. At any rate, I figured that anything I can do to make her laugh for now is good." Rob nodded.

"Thank you Tristan. Go home and get some sleep huh?" Tristan nodded.

"Hey, where's Izzy?"

"School shopping with Rory. She starts Preschool this year you know."

"And tomorrow she gets married." He smiled, walking away.

OOOOO

"They have uniforms in preschool?" Rory said again.

"Yep, now you know why everyone hated Chilton's." He said with a grin.

"You never went shopping for new school clothes? Not once?"

"Nope. I went from one kind of uniform to another." He said with a mock salute. Glancing at the choices of pencil boxes, he poked Izzy, who was sitting in the cart surrounded by her new stuff. "Hey, what kind of pencil box do you want?"

"Purple, pink or blue." Rory held them out. She pointed to the purple one. "Purple it is." She added it to the cart. "Now I just feel sorry for her. That was the best part of school. Next on the list?"

"Mission accomplished." He said. "List is complete."

"That was fast." She said.

"It's pre-school." She shrugged at his response.

"Let's go check out and get some lunch, I'm starving." Tristan pulled Izzy out of the cart and she snuggled into his neck. They were just about to the line when Tristan heard a voice from behind him.

"Tristan?" He and Rory turned around. Rory looked at him to gage his reaction. He wasn't looking at Rory. The woman in front of them was absolutely gorgeous, a model by the looks of her thin frame. But besides being too skinny, she was one of the most naturally beautiful people Rory had ever seen. Before Tristan could answer, Izzy grinned.

"Emily!" She cried out in delight.

Duh Duh DUH!! Ok I usually don't do cliff hangers because I'm not the most punctual updater and I think it's just mean. But it seemed like a good time for one. So, knowing that I can't promise when I will update again. I will update this one next so you don't have to wait as long.


	13. Rings

Disclaimer: I don't own GG

For those of you who don't remember, Emily is Tristan's ex-girlfriend who wanted to marry him that was previously mentioned in this story.

_Previously on Gilmore Girls:_

"_Tristan?" He and Rory turned around. Rory looked at him to gage his reaction. He wasn't looking at Rory. The woman in front of them was absolutely gorgeous, a model by the looks of her thin frame. But besides being too skinny, she was one of the most naturally beautiful people Rory had ever seen. Before Tristan could answer, Izzy grinned._

"_Emily!" She cried out in delight._

Emily? Tristan's ex-girlfriend Emily? Rory thought sickly as she turned to the cashier. She wanted nothing more than to grab Tristan and get the Hell out of the store, but the reporter side of her was too curious to leave.

"Hey Iz." She said with a far too beautiful smile. "Look at you! You've grown up so much!" Izzy scrambled down to give her legs a hug. Her Southern accent sounded far too sweet for Rory's liking.

"What are you doing here?" Tristan asked, coldly. He was clearly not expecting to ever see her again. Good boy, Rory thought proudly.

"Just some shopping." She said, raising her basket.

"I mean in Connecticut."

"I'm visiting some friends, what are you doing here?"

"I live here."

"For the summer?" She asked.

"No, I transferred to Yale." He said. This obviously blew her mind because she almost took a step backwards.

"And Hell just froze over. Tristan DuGray, following in his father's footsteps, he must be really proud of you." Rory was just about to step in and say something but Izzy was a step ahead of her.

"Aunt Rory, can I get candy?" Izzy asked, holding up a sucker. She was unloading the cart, but she stopped and smiled.

"Sure baby. Can you give it to the lady so she can scan it?" Izzy nodded. Rory made sure her left hand was in her jacket pocket. Emily stared at the new object of her attention.

"You got married?" She whispered quietly. Rory looked up. Tristan didn't answer; he just looked at the floor. It was obvious that he didn't want to commit either way. Emily made his decision for him as she walked away.

"Congratulations."

OOOOO

Rory had kept replaying the situation in her head the rest of the day. Tristan had gone to return Izzy and her new school supplies to her house but that was hours ago. She figured he needed some time to think, she certainly did. The ride home had been completely quiet, even Izzy sensed the tension and had kept her mouth shut. The only words he had said to her were to tell her where he was going. This was going to be an interesting conversation if they ever got up the nerve to talk about it. She was just about to continue listing all of Emily's faults when the front door opened.

"I need your help." Rory heard the desperation in his voice as Jess let himself in.

"Ok." She said a little unsure of what was going on. She hopped off the couch to greet him.

"Actually, I need your hand, here, try this on." He grabbed her hand and put a ring on it.

"Why? Jess, what is going on?!" She asked. He closed his eyes.

"Promise you won't say anything until after I've explained myself." Rory pouted, but relented as Jess glared at her.

"Go on." She said.

"I'm ring shopping." Rory just stared at him and she bit her lip to keep from saying anything. "And I need a female because apparently I know absolutely NOTHING about jewelry." She raised her hand. He ignored her and kept talking. "Plus, I was pretty sure that you two have the same ring size. And you do." Rory was practically whimpering, her hand still in the air. "Ok, sure, go ahead." She put her hand down.

"Thank you. First of all, Oh. My. God!" She wrapped him in a huge hug. "Secondly, you're going ring shopping by yourself?"

"Stop it! Why does everyone look at me like that?"

"Never mind. So, does Anna know this is coming?"

"We're talking about it." He said with a bashful smile.

"Wow. I cannot picture you getting married."

"Gee, thanks!" He said, hitting her shoulder.

"No! You know what I mean, the big wedding, the tux, the flowers. You are not a…married person."

"I'm not, but she is." Rory just stared at him. His eyes suddenly hit the floor, self-consciously rubbing the back of his neck. "I know. It sounds crazy. It just feels…right, you know? Besides, it wouldn't be a big wedding. We'd probably elope… I hope."

"I'm really proud of you Jess." She smiled. "I would love to help you."

"Thank you. I promise, I'll never forget it."

Several jewelry stores later, Rory and Jess stumbled upon it, the perfect ring. Jess spotted it and immediately knew that it was the right choice. Rory tried it on and it fit perfectly. The saleswoman handed the small velvet box to Jess and he tucked it in his pocket.

OOOOO

When Rory came home that evening, Tristan was sitting on the couch.

"You'll never guess where I was this afternoon." He didn't look up from the TV.

"Where?" She walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping he was over the day's silent treatment.

"I went engagement ring shopping with Jess." Tristan turned around to face her.

"Really?" God, that's just the topic du jour, he thought.

"I know! I was shocked to say the least."

"I didn't realize they were that serious."

"Well, they've been seeing each other as long as we have. And when you know, you know." Tristan shrugged.

"I guess." He said, suddenly hyper-aware of where this conversation was going.

"Don't worry, I'm not expecting anything." She said with a smile.

"What?"

"I saw the face." He gave her a quizzical look. "The 'Wedding' face. Look, I'm not expecting anything. I'm very happy in this relationship." She said with a kiss. "And I know that the whole Emily thing threw you for a loop." He looked down again. "I don't want to get married yet."

"You don't want to get married?" He looked at her.

"Of course I want to get married. I'm just saying, there's no pressure." Tristan had wondered if Rory was sending him a message with the whole left hand incident earlier. Now it seemed like fate was sending him all the signs that he should just bite the bullet and commit already.

"What if I asked, right now?"

"_Are_ you asking right now?" She said with a teasing smile.

"No, but what if I did. What would you say?"

"What do you think I would say?"

"I'm serious." He said, slightly annoyed at her teasing.

"I know." She laughed. "That's why it's so funny." Tristan rolled his eyes. "Mr. 'I'm not even sure I want that life'."

"Too soon." He said, wincing.

"Sorry." She got serious. "I would say yes. You know I would say yes." She said, reassuring him by patting his knee. "What has gotten into my boys today?" She pondered, looking him straight in the eyes, but Tristan felt like she was examining his soul, rather than his eyes.

"Stop it."

"What?!" Her eyes got wide. "I'm not doing anything!"

"Don't look at me like that, it freaks me out."

"Oh, okay." She said, mocking him as she got up off the couch, but Tristan pulled her back down and on top of him. She tried to wriggle away, but he turned her over and his mere body weight kept her pinned. "Not fair. You went to military school." She said with a pout.

"And look at how much it's given me." He said with a smirk. Then he kissed her, lightly, almost… chastely? Rory pulled away and looked at him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said, sounding unconvincing even to himself.

"You wanna try that again?" She asked again, making it clear that she didn't believing him. He sighed and sat up.

"I've just been thinking a lot." When Rory didn't say anything, he went on. "About moving, Yale, now Emily. But mostly about Cat and Rob." Rory nodded. "I want them to be ok."

"You've had a rough couple of days, haven't you?" He nodded as she kissed his temple. "It'll be ok again. It's just gonna take some time."

"It would've have been nice to have another kid in the family though, don't you think?" He asked, rhetorically. "She wanted a boy. Someone for Rob to play baseball with." Rory smiled.

"That would have been nice." She said, pulling him back on top of her. She ran her hands through his hair for him, and then kissed him on the forehead. "Do you know what I love about you?"

"My devilish good looks?" He smirked. She ignored him.

"You care. When you were in high school you didn't even care about yourself. Now look at you."

"I cared about you." He said, trying to sound better than he really was.

"You wanted me, there's a difference." He gave up, knowing that she was right. "Hey," she pulled his chin up to look her in the eyes. "I'm serious." He looked at her. "You have the best heart of anyone I've ever met. And I'm not just saying that to make you feel better." He shook his head.

"Sometimes I wonder if you know me at all." She shrugged.

"Maybe I know you better than you know yourself."

OOOOO

Within the next week, Rory and Tristan had moved into their new house. Tristan was thankful for the chaos because it helped him take his mind off of everything that was going on in his life. Rory knew that he was tired and stressed, so she had kept her distance from him lately. Little did she know that that was the exact opposite of what Tristan needed.

"I've officially unpacked the last box." She said, flopping down on the couch next to him. Tristan smiled at her exhausted face. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail and she was in her work clothes. There was a smudge of what looked like a mix of sweat, dust and dirt above her eyebrow. She opened her eyes and found him staring at her.

"I know, I look like Hell." She said. He shook his head.

"You're taking my breath away." He said, wiping the smudge away. She looked at him like he was crazy. How long had it been since he had stared at her like this? Too long, he decided as he bent down and picked her up.

"AH! What are you doing? Tristan! Put me down!" She screamed as he carried her to the shower.


	14. Red Ribbons

Disclaimer: I don't own GG or any affiliated objects. Don't sue me

A/N: Don't be mad at me, but I skipped ahead a little…and by a little I mean a semester. Hehe. I started typing and that was what came out. Blame the muses.

OOOOO

Tristan shook the snow off of his shoes before stepping into the house. It was days like this he missed North Carolina. Finals had taken a toll on him and he was exhausted. He found Rory lying on her side in the fetal position on the floor. Propped up on her left arm, she was reading a textbook. Without saying a word, he quietly set down his backpack.

"Hey." She said, not looking up from her book. She was in a zone and Tristan didn't want to disturb that. He laid down on his stomach behind her and rested his chin on her hip, allowing himself to peer over her body to see what she was reading. "How was your day?" She asked, knowing that he was being quiet for a reason.

"It was long." He kissed her hip through her jeans.

"I'm sorry." She ran her hand over his hair.

"You didn't do anything." He said with a grin. "Finals are just, brutal."

"I know, I just want you to be happy."

"Trust me. I'm happy." He said, plastering a fake grin on his face. She rolled her eyes. "I'm freezing, I'm going to go take a shower." He slapped her ass as he stood up. Rory muttered a moan. Tristan turned around slowly.

"What?" She asked, faking naivete.

"Don't be coy with me Miss Gilmore. You know damn well what." He said as she gave him a wink. He shook his head. He could never understand how one girl could be blushing profusely one minute and be a seductive temptress the next. "How about you take a break from studying?" He asked her.

"I can't, honestly. I've got another test in an hour."

"If you don't know it by now, you aren't going to learn it." He said.

"That's not true."

"Yes. It is." He nodded.

"No, that's what boys who want to get laid by their smoking hot girlfriends say, and the next thing you know, the smoking hot girlfriend is a college dropout." She said with a giggle as he dropped back down to her level. He kissed her, fully intent on numbing her busy mind. He had just about succeeded when she heard the thud of her textbook closing. "Tristan," she whispered against his mouth.

"You need to take a break." He whispered back as he began trailing kisses down her neck.

"This is my last final. When I get back, we can stay in bed all night if you want."

"Promise?" He said, staring into her eyes.

"Pinky swear." She said, offering her pinky to him. He groaned and slid off of her, signaling his defeat.

OOOOO

When Rory got out of her test, the snow was really coming down. She braced herself for the storm, wrapping her scarf around her neck and face and putting up her hood on her winter coat. It was a good ten-minute walk back to the house and she was completely dreading it. She tried to keep her her mother's appreciation of snow in the back of her mind. By the time she got home, she opened the door to find Tristan waiting with hot chocolate.

"Oh, how awesome are you?" She asked, taking the hot chocolate from him. Taking a sip of it, her body immediately started to warm up. "You know, if I hadn't already promised you, you would so be getting some tonight." He smiled.

"That's what I like to hear. God, you are freezing, come here." He pulled her over to the couch and wrapped her up in a blanket. "How did the test go?" He knew it went well, but he had to ask.

"I'm not sure, there were a couple answers that I would have liked to have more time to think about." Her serious face firmly in position.

"But now it's over, and we can finally relax and enjoy Christmas."

"Right, I needed to talk to you about that." Alarm bells started going off in Tristan's head.

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good."

"No, it's just that my grandparents wanted to invite me to spend New Year's Eve on vacation with them,"

"Doing what?"

"They always go to an island with some friends but they had an extra ticket and they wanted to know if I would like to go with them." She paused. "If you don't want me to go, just say the word and I'll stay. My mother already had a few choice words to say, actually."

"Do you want to go?"

"I'm not sure. I wanted to talk it over with you first. I mean, we would still get Christmas together, it would only be a couple days away, but it's over a major holiday so that requires permission." He laughed.

"You don't need my permission, you should go. I would love to be able to spend New Year's with my grandparents, rest their souls. Besides, I'll have Cat and Rob and Izzy to party with."

"Are you sure?" He nodded.

"Go, get a tan, have fun." She kissed him.

"Thank you for understanding. I love you."

"I love you too." She curled up into his lap, resting her head on his shoulder.

OOOOO

Rory huffed once again as she entered the car. Tristan was taking her somewhere for Christmas and she had no idea where it was. She didn't even know what was in her suitcase. Her mother had packed for her! This kind of spontaneity went against every bone in her body and in return, she was pouting. Tristan just smiled as she sat down next to him.

"You'll like it. I promise!" He said, grabbing her knee. "And the next vacation we take, you can plan and pack for months in advance." She just eyed him suspiciously.

"You better promise. This is time away from Stars Hollow at Christmas. I don't know what you said to my mother to get her to agree to this, but it better be good."

"Well, at first she was a little…hesitant. But because Jess and Anna are on their 'elopement slash honeymoon' she figured that we could have a major party when they came back." Tristan had discussed, actually it was more along the lines of asked permission, to take Rory away during Christmas. He knew that it was the most important time of the year and Rory had never been away from her mother at Christmas before. When Lorelei had heard what Tristan was planning, she gave in willingly. "AND she expects a lot of chick flick movie nights…with me." He added, trying to get her to laugh. Rory wasn't ready to smile quite yet. She just rolled her eyes and turned on the music. He wasn't swayed though. He knew that she would enjoy the trip, once she found out about it.

"What about your family? Don't they expect you to be there for Christmas?"

"My family is Cat and Rob and they are visiting Rob's parents for the day remember? My parents couldn't care less. Now just sit back and relax. You're on vacation now." The rest of the car ride was silent and when Tristan pulled into a long driveway, Rory finally got interested.

"Where are we?" She asked, finally giving in to her curious nature. There was a large brick house in front of them.

"This is my cottage." Tristan said with a grin. "My grandfather left it specifically for me in his will."

"You have a cottage?" Rory laughed. He ignored her, choosing instead to grab their bags and carry them inside. Rory followed him inside the small foyer. To the right was a cozy-looking living room with a fireplace. Two huge overstuffed chairs and a couch seemed to fill the entire room. "Wow," she muttered under her breath.

"In here is the kitchen," Tristan pointed in front of him as he walked. "It has pretty much everything you need to survive. I stocked it earlier with S'mores, coffee and hot chocolate, oh and Sookie threw some of her Christmas goodies in the mix." Rory beamed. She had trained him well; he took such good care of her. "Of course, my favorite thing is the view." There was a long sliding door on the other side of the kitchen table that had a view of the lake behind the house.

"Tell me that isn't your lake." She followed him down the hallway. Tristan paused as if to seriously question it.

"Not that I know of. We do use it for ice skating or swimming in the summer. Izzy has commandeered the beach." He continued with the tour. "Um, let's see. Down here are a variety of bedrooms, the master bath is right here." He said with a flick of his wrist. He turned around to face her. "Anything I forgot that you need to know?" He asked with a grin. She shook her head. "Are you pleasantly surprised?" She nodded.

"I love you." She said with a smile. They kissed and he pulled away.

"I saved the best part for last." He got a familiar glint in his eye.

"Better than S'mores?" She asked, laughter in her voice.

"Come on." He grabbed her hand and stopped in front of the last room of the house. "Close your eyes." He said as he put his hand on the doorknob. She followed his directions and he opened the door. Immediately she was hit with her favorite smell in the entire world, the smell of old books.

"Tristan." She whined.

"Go ahead, open your eyes." He laughed, letting go of her hand. Her eyes opened to reveal an old library. Hundreds of books lined the walls. Rory let her jaw hit the ground.

"Oh my," was all she could muster. "This is incredible. Oh look! There's even a ladder! It's just like in Beauty and the Beast!" She squealed with delight. Tristan laughed. "Where did all these come from?" She asked longingly.

"I don't know. My grandpa liked collecting old books. I used to sit here in front of the fireplace and watch him work at his desk." Rory caught the nostalgia in his voice. She walked over to him and he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry you never got a chance to meet each other. He would have loved you."

"He would have been very proud of the way you turned out." Tristan nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Come on, I'm starving. What should we have for supper?"

OOOOO

After dinner, dessert, and many attempts to get a fire started, Tristan and Rory sat wrapped in blankets on the floor in front of the fireplace. Rory stared into the fire, the yellow glow reflecting in her blue eyes. She was completely distracted in her own thoughts. Tristan watched the flames dance across her pupils. She pulled him closer to her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for bringing me here." She whispered, her warm breath wandering over his neck. She breathed in deeply, taking in his scent. "This is the best Christmas present I've ever had." Tristan smiled.

"This isn't your Christmas present." Rory pulled away from him and looked him in the eye.

"Really?" Tristan got up and went into the kitchen. When he came back, he had a small box in his hands. "What is that?" She asked knowingly.

"This is your Christmas present." Rory looked up with wide eyes as she smiled.

"Tristan! It's not Christmas yet."

"So what?" He shrugged. "I like spoiling you. It makes me feel good inside."

"Let me get yours then." She started to stand up but he pushed her back down.

"Nope. I never open my presents before Christmas morning." He handed her the box and she started undoing the wrapping.

"Fine, we'll compromise and do it tomorrow on Christmas Eve." He nodded. She opened the box, but there was a smaller box inside. It was velvet. Rory looked up at Tristan.

"Well, open it." He said, matter of factly. She pulled it out and slowly opened it. It was empty. She glanced back at Tristan, who now was holding a beautiful ring in his fingers.

"Oh Tristan." As realization swept over her, she put her one hand over her mouth and the other on her chest. Tristan smiled at her reaction.

"I had this long speech planned out but right now I can't remember any of it." He got down on his knees so he was eye level with her. "Rory Gilmore," he paused as he swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat, "will you marry me?" With a burst of tears, she nodded frantically.

"Yes!" She cried as he put the ring on her finger. She threw her arms around him.

"I love you." He said, wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumb

"I love you too." She blubbered. "Oh my God!" They kissed and she cried some more as Tristan breathed a sigh of relief. "I have to call my mother!" He laughed and threw her his cell phone.

OOOOO

"What are you thinking?" She noticed him staring off into space. Although, she wasn't talking either, she just kept staring at the ring in disbelief.

"That I can't believe you said yes." Tristan said with a smirk. "What about you?"

"I'm thinking about our wedding." Rory's drunk grin spread across her face. "And how I couldn't be happier."

"Our wedding huh? What's the verdict? I'm betting a big Stars Hollow bash? It's not very often their princess gets married." Rory smiled.

"Hey, that makes you their prince!" Tristan laughed and shook his head. "I don't think that outsiders are given any royal positions."

"Well, we can't leave it to the Hartford crowd now can we?" Tristan eyes widened and he shuddered at the thought.

"I hadn't thought about that. We can't let that happen. Quick, tell me what you are thinking."

"Izzy will be our flower girl." Tristan smiled. He loved the fact that Rory adored Izzy as much as he did. "My mom will be my maid of honor, the bridesmaids will be Paris, Lane and Cat of course."

"Really? You want Cat to stand up for you?" He glanced over, surprised at her decision.

"Of course I do! She's your sister, which means she's going to be my sister-in-law. Plus I adore her." She smiled. "Do you think she'll want to?"

"I know she'd love to. I told her about my little plan and she was ecstatic. This is like a dream come true for her. And for me of course." He added with a grin. Rory nodded.

"Oh and Sookie will cater."

"That's a given." Tristan licked his lips.

"What about your side of the aisle? Any thoughts about your best man or groomsmen?"

"Well, Rob will definitely be up with me. I guess I hadn't thought about it."

"Oooh! Does this mean I finally get to meet some of your friends from college?" Rory grinned mischievously.

"I suppose it does. And why are you grinning like that?" Rory leapt out of bed and grabbed her purse.

"Are you ready for your Christmas present?" Tristan shook his head but she jumped back into bed anyway.

"Mary, what are you doing?" She handed him an envelope.

"Open it." She was still grinning. He shook it and Rory just rolled her eyes. He tore it open and read the paper inside.

"It's a receipt for a flight from London on New Year's Eve?" He glanced over at her.

"Look at the name." She said, pointing.

"Jake?" He said, smiling. "Jake is coming here for New Year's?"

"Uh-huh!" She nodded. "I broke into your email account and found his email and then proceeded to email him and told him that you needed someone to play with while I was away. I figure you two could have a guy's night or whatever it is boys do when they are alone on holiday."

"Well, look at you little Miss CIA."

"It's not hard to do when your password is 'Mary'."

"It's wonderful. Thank you love." Tristan slipped seamlessly into his British accent. He kissed her but she pulled away.

"You're really good at that. Say something else." She giggled.

"Like what?" He asked in his normal voice.

"I don't care but I've always had a thing for British guys." Tristan rolled his eyes.

"You tell me this now?"

"Well of course. I'm off the market, it doesn't make any difference now does it?"

"No, no it doesn't." Tristan said with a smile.

"Come on, you can't tell me you don't have a thing for a girl with an accent." She stared at him. "I bet you're a romantic language kind of guy. Spanish, Italian?" She poked him for an answer.

"I plead the fifth." was all he said with a kiss. Rory just laughed.

"I knew it!"


	15. Regret

OOOOO

Tristan picked Jake up at the airport a few days later.

"DuGray!" He heard a shout from behind him. He turned around and saw his grinning counterpart holding his luggage.

"Jacob." They hugged.

"How was your flight?"

"Bloody long. Amazing stewardesses though. You Americans know what you are doing." Tristan grinned. "So, what's new?"

"I'm engaged." Tristan said. Jake groaned.

"Another one bites the dust. I never would have thought that you would tie the knot. Although your girl sounds like a winner. I can't wait to meet her."

"You will. She's leaving for vacation with her grandparents in the next couple days but she's waiting at home."

"Excellent. Don't tell me, she's beautiful, talented, probably bloody rich too." Tristan smiled.

"Not rich, although her family does come from money, so she gets it." Jake shook his head.

"Two and a half out of three. You lucky bastard." Tristan pulled a picture out of his wallet and handed it to him as he loaded his bags in the car. Jake took the picture and stared at it. He quickly handed it back to Tristan. "What did you say her name was?"

"Rory Gilmore, why?"

"No reason, she just looks so familiar."

"Really?" Tristan was surprised. "Well, she doesn't hang out with our old circles so I don't think you know each other. Although she does know Finn." And with that…the light bulb clicked on.

"I'm sure it will come to me. She probably just looks like someone I used to date." He said, feeling completely shitty.

OOOOO

They walked into the house and Tristan put Jake's bags on the floor.

"Ror?"

"I'm in the kitchen." She yelled back. Tristan smiled as Jake rolled his eyes.

"Of course. I bet she's wearing an apron too. You've become my own worst nightmare." He said following him.

"That was quick." She said, turning around to meet the boys.

"Rory, this is Jacob Riley. Jake, this is my fiancé Rory." Rory hadn't moved since he walked through the door.

"Nice to meet you. Do we know each other?" Rory asked as she put out her hand.

"You know, I was thinking the same thing. Have you ever been to London?" He said, playing it cool. She shook her head.

"Not for a long time. When was the last time you were in Connecticut?" She asked him.

"It's been awhile." Rory stared at him some more.

"That's so odd. You both must know each other from somewhere." Tristan asked. "Keep trying to figure it out, I'm going to put this stuff in the back bedroom." As soon as he left, Jake whispered,

"O'Houlihan's. Finn introduced us?" Rory looked at him a little closer. She couldn't place him until…

"Oh my God." Realization swept over her.

"Your hair is long now. It looks nice."

"Oh my God." She said, disgusted with herself.

"You've said that already."

"Well, given the situation, I think it's called for." She whispered loudly.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Tristan."

"Oh my God, Tristan. We can't..." She was cut off by Tristan walking back into the room.

"Did you guys figure it out?"

"Nope, must be some uncanny coincidence." Jake said with a smile.

OOOOO

That night, Rory couldn't sleep. She walked into the kitchen but found that Jake was already there.

"Oh, hi. I was just, getting something to drink." She said, flustered.

"Jet lag." He replied. She grabbed a water out of the fridge.

"Thanks for covering for me today. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem." They didn't notice that Tristan had woken up and was standing outside the doorway.

"Good, I was…really drunk. I can't hold my alcohol when Finn is around."

"No one can." They started laughing. "Well for what it's worth, Finn doesn't know either. He would have me killed if he found out I took you home." Rory blushed.

"You think?"

"Oh absolutely. He protects you like you were his sister. Normally I don't sleep with girls who are freshly heart-broken. It just seems wrong, but you," He whistled. "You were something else entirely."

"You know what? I'm actually glad you did. I needed to feel…something else. I never thought I would say this, but looking back I'm honestly glad that it happened. Not that I want it exposed." Jake laughed.

"You've surrounded yourself with good men."

"Yes I have. Well, I better get back to bed before Tristan wakes up."

"Ok." He watched her get up from the table. "Hey Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Tristan's lucky to have you."

"You too." Jake shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I'm thinking that since I slept with his future wife, my name has been taken off the list."

"Stop it, you're his best friend. That says a lot about you." Jake smiled and shook his head.

"It says a lot about him." He replied back. Tristan walked quietly back to bed and lay down. He heard Rory crawl in bed soon after. She snuggled up behind him and whispered in his ear.

"I love you." Tristan didn't respond but pretended to be sleeping. As soon as he heard her breathing even out he began to think. Rory had told him about the one-night-stand when they first started dating. He had completely brushed it off. He couldn't hold this over her; he was far too guilty. Of course, he had never slept with her best friend. Jake would never cross that line with anyone's girlfriend, let alone fiancé. Tristan trusted them. But one phrase seemed to stick out in his mind: 'I've always had a thing for British guys.' He tried to think back, to the last time Jake was in the States. He had spoken of a girl who was a force to be reckoned with. She had just found out her boyfriend was cheating on her. 'Legs like a racehorse'. It had been a one time only deal, but Jake kept talking about her, in a way that he had never talked about a girl. It was the repetitive nature that caught Tristan's memory. He had asked, if this girl was so amazing, why didn't he call her again? Jake had replied, 'Because girls like that only make one mistake, I was just lucky enough to be her mistake.' It was only in this sage advice that Tristan found solace. He knew that Rory loved him as intensely as he loved her, and if she wanted to keep it a secret, then he would.

OOOOO

The next morning, Rory needed to talk to Tristan, before Jake woke up. Unfortunately, he was sleeping just as soundly. She rolled over him and whispered his name in his ear. She knew that ears were his weakness so she only used them when she wanted something and needed complete control. This was one of those moments.

"Tristan." She shook him a little and as he started to wake up, she began nibbling and sucking on his earlobe.

"Mary," he said, his eyes still closed "What do you want?" He sounded slightly annoyed.

"You. In the shower."

"You woke me up to have sex in the shower?" He asked, completely confused. "What's going on?"

"I had a dream about you this morning and it left me horny as hell." She said, matter of factly.

"Oh really? And what was this dream about?"

"You and me in the shower." She said, slightly put off. Normally, Tristan didn't ask questions; something was not right.

"And you wanted to wake me up to recreate this dream on a Saturday morning?"

"Well, I figured you would want to help, but I can always finish the job myself." She said, irritated at his tone. She got up and wrapped herself in her robe and walked towards the bathroom. Tristan had just passed up sex with her. It could only mean one thing…he knew.

OOOOO

Tristan had just passed up sex in the shower with his fiancé. What the hell was he thinking? He was thinking about Jake's hands all over his future wife. He got up and tried the doorknob but Rory had locked it, a sure sign that she was pissed off at him. He hadn't meant to be so rude, but he knew that he couldn't look at her quite yet. He didn't want to think of Jake touching her the way that he did. Tristan had never been a jealous person, but the green flames were consuming him. He hadn't felt this way since Rory showed up at the Chilton dance with Dean. He got dressed and walked out to the kitchen, hoping that Jake was still sleeping; he wasn't.

"Good morning." Jake was all too chipper.

"Hey. Did you sleep well?" Tristan asked.

"Not at all, but I'm hoping that with a little coffee I can get back on track." Tristan nodded and poured himself a cup.

"Me either. Hey, make sure that you leave some of that for Rory. It's the only thing that gets her moving."

"Right, she loves her coffee." He said as if he was remembering. Tristan flashed him a glare. "Why couldn't you sleep?" Jake asked, changing the subject. Tristan just looked at him, debating whether or not to admit that he knew.

"I heard you guys last night. I know about you two." Jake sighed.

"Look mate, I didn't know until I got here. It didn't mean anything, she just had to get over her boyfriend."

"That doesn't make it any less awkward. I remember you talking about her Jake. I remember everything you told me." Tristan said, rubbing his temples. He just sat there, not knowing what to say. To add to the tension, Rory, her cheeks rosy from her previous activities in the tub, walked into the kitchen in her robe, which Tristan loved because it was just a little too short. But given Jake's appearance in the kitchen, it now seemed a little inappropriate.

"Good morning." She said. Jake glanced over at Tristan, who was looking at Rory.

"Good morning." He replied back, his eyes still on Tristan.

"We have a guest Ror."

"It's ok Tris." Jake replied.

"I'm not going to get into a fight with you over this." She said to Tristan.

"Excuse me?"

"You've got that look in your eye. It's not worth it Tris. Leave it in the past."

"Leave what in the past Ror? You haven't told me anything yet." He said, sarcastically. Rory rolled her eyes.

"Then we have nothing to fight over I guess." Jake took that as his cue to leave. There was going to be a throw-down in the kitchen and he wasn't about to be sitting in between them. Tristan watched Jake leave the room and was silent until he heard the front door close.

"Were you going to tell me?" He asked.

"No." Rory said defiantly. "I wasn't. I was trying to avoid this scenario." She said, gesticulating between the two of them. "How the hell did you figure it out anyway?"

"I heard you two talking last night, not that it matters. God Rory, how could you?"

"How could I what?! I didn't know he was your best friend when I slept with him. I didn't even know you when it happened. I had ONE meaningless fling and I'm getting yelled at? Do you really want to go down memory lane Tristan?!"

"It's not the sex that bothers me. It's the fact that I can remember Jake telling me all about it, about you! You are not supposed to be some morning after, tabloid fodder. Damn it Ror, you are better than that!" Rory was silent for a minute.

"We're all 'better than that' Tristan." She said quietly. "But that doesn't stop it from happening." She walked through the door and into the bedroom. Tristan followed close behind her. "And for your information, it was my idea. _I_ took _him_ home." She paused as she opened the closet. "And Jake didn't treat me like some cheap whore." She said as she threw some clothes on. "You should expect more from your best friend." She stormed out of the room but this time, Tristan stayed where he was. He tried not to wince as he heard her slam the front door.


	16. Revenge

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

This chapter is going to bounce back and forth a bit. If it's annoying, I apologize.

_Previously on Gilmore Girls:_

"We're all 'better than that' Tristan." She said quietly. "But that doesn't stop it from happening." She walked through the door and into the bedroom. Tristan followed close behind her. "And for your information, it was my idea. I took him home." She paused as she opened the closet. "And Jake didn't treat me like some cheap whore." She said as she threw some clothes on. "You should expect more from your best friend." She stormed out of the room but this time, Tristan stayed where he was. He tried not to wince as he heard her slam the front door.

A thousand thoughts were racing through his head as he contemplated whether or not to run after her. He decided it wasn't a good idea. It was probably for the best if she cooled down, he thought as he sat down on the bed. Taking in a deep breath, he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. This was not how it was supposed to happen. They were supposed to live happily ever after. He just proposed for God sake's and now he couldn't even have sex with his own fiancé without thinking about his best friend.

The squeal of tires.

Thud.

OOOOO

Rory was fuming. She couldn't help the fact that Tristan knew Jake. She wished that Tristan would just get over it. Here she was, nine in the morning, walking off her anger in the December snow. It wasn't really snow anymore; it was more gray mush. She hated the snow for being dirty and polluted, it was just another reminder that her pristine relationship was tarnished at the moment. She was starting to get cold, but there was no way she was going back into that house. She was stubborn and if that meant pacing back and forth down the block then so be it. She had just turned the corner when she saw a car coming towards her down the street. She was on the sidewalk before she even knew what happened.

OOOOO

When Tristan looked out the window, he found Rory lying on the sidewalk and a car jammed into the stop sign on the corner. He stopped breathing as he ran outside.

"Rory!" He yelled.

"Why are you screaming?" He heard her say as she tried to sit up.

"Don't move." He saw the red trickle of blood on her hand.

"Tristan, you don't have a coat on, go inside… and put some shoes on for God's sake." She said as she ignored him and rotated her hand back and forth.

"What happened?" He asked the driver of the vehicle.

"The car hit some ice, I couldn't control it. She jumped out of the way."

"Tristan, I'm just fine. He didn't even touch me. You're going to die of hypothermia if you don't go inside and get some clothes on." She turned to the man watching this scene unfold. "He's Pre-med, so he's a little jumpy when it comes to stuff like this. I'm fine, I hit the snow. Don't worry. I'm just going to take him inside, do you need to use a phone?" She asked.

"That would be great." He glanced at her hand.

"It's fine," She said, this time a little irritated. "What's your name?"

"Eric."

"Eric. Come on, it's cold out here." She said.

OOOOO

Tristan tended to Rory's hand as Eric called for a tow truck. She was sitting on the counter with Tristan between her legs. In any other situation, she would have found this very appealing, but given the circumstances…

"OW!" She cried as he poured some anti-septic over her cut. He broke her from her thoughts but he wasn't the least bit concerned about her feelings right now. She had scared him half to death.

"The truck's here. Thanks for everything. Are you sure you're going to be ok?"

"I'm fine, really, I just scraped it on the sidewalk. Could've happened if I slipped on the ice. It's nothing. Thank you." He nodded as he left. Tristan scoffed.

"What?" She was still angry.

"You just thanked him. He could've killed you." He said as he angrily grabbed a box of band-aids out of the first aid kit.

"He didn't though did he?" He stared at her.

"Damn it Rory." He said as he threw the box back on the counter. "Don't you know what that looked like to me?!" He said, his breathing heavy. "It looked like you were, and the last thing I said was…" He stopped, he didn't even want to consider what could have happened. Keeping his comments to himself, he learned his lesson. He took a deep breath and sighed. "I shouldn't have gotten angry. You didn't know." Aware that they were no longer talking about the accident, Rory caved.

"I should have told you." Silence reigned for a few minutes. Rory looked down at her hand. "Do you want to kiss it and make it better?" She asked, sticking her palm out to him as a peace offering. He rolled his eyes but kissed her palm anyway. She giggled. "Holy palmer's kiss." She muttered. He looked confused. "You know, Romeo and Juliet? Shakespeare?"

"I know who it is…you're very odd you know that?" She smiled.

"I've been told." She bit her lip to keep the grin from spreading across her face. They were back.

Tristan picked her up off the counter and wrapped her legs around his waist. She wanted to kiss him, but he didn't let her. He wanted one thing right now. He finally laid her down in their bedroom and slowly undressed her and then himself. She watched as he worked carefully, wanting to get the full effect. Cautious with her injury, he put her hands over her head. He leaned in and ran his tongue along her lips. She gladly opened as he tugged on her lips with his teeth. He finally kissed her and time seemed to stop. He was in a parallel universe and the only thing that existed was the two of them. His mouth traveled down her jaw to the back of ear.

"Take me," Rory whispered in his ear, her voice thick with want. "Please." He ignored her begging but ground his erection into her thigh, which spurred her on even more. With her good hand, she reached down and grabbed his ass. "Please." She begged again.

"What do you want?" He asked as he slid a finger across her wet folds.

"You. Only you." He seemed to like that answer because he slipped a finger into her. Rory's head flew back against the pillow in ecstasy. He stopped momentarily as he heard the front door open. "Tristan," she moaned, wanting him to continue.

"Jake's back." Rory heard the possessiveness in his voice. It was strong…and it was hot. She licked at his shoulder.

"Are you going to show him how it's done?" She grinned. He glanced down at her and smiled. He removed his finger and swiftly entered her.

"Fuck." He muttered under his breath, he couldn't remember a time when she was this hot. He began thrusting inside her and she let out a gasp.

"Oh God." She cried just a little too loudly. She had never had sex with Tristan when someone else was in the house listening, but it kind of turned her on. "Yes!" She cried as Tristan changed his angle, banishing any thought from her mind but the pursuit of more pleasure. Her moans of satisfaction came faster and faster until she saw the burst of white light at the end of the tunnel. Tristan fell next to her. Gasping, she tried to catch her breath. Wiping sweat from his brow, Tristan smirked.

"Show off." She muttered once she was able to breathe.

OOOOO

Jake came back to the house a few hours after he left. He heard a noise coming from the bedroom so he assumed everything was good again. He smiled as he grabbed his headphones and collapsed on his bed, drowning out the sounds the two lovers were making. Within minutes, he fell victim to the jetlag that had kept him up the night before.

OOOOO

Tristan grabbed a towel and slung it across his hips. Nothing was better than 'post-sex' sex in the shower with Rory. Walking into their bedroom, he found that Rory was dressing nicely…way too nicely for just hanging around the house.

"Going somewhere?" He asked as he started getting dressed as well.

"My plane leaves in a couple hours, remember?" Her trip. He had almost forgot about it, and it was the whole reason Jake was here. "Grandma and Grandpa do not travel comfortably." He nodded. When she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror. Tristan watched as her eyes traveled over her own body, examining every detail.

"You look gorgeous." He said, breaking into her thoughts. She smiled as she put her engagement ring back on.

"You have to say that." She winked at him and it nearly killed him. He wanted to jump in front of the doorway and never let her leave.

"I mean it." He said. She walked over to him and kissed him.

"I know." She sighed. "I think I'm going to miss you most of all." She said in her best Dorothy impression. He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"I don't know why I ever let you leave this house."

"Because if you didn't, I would drive you crazy." He nodded his head and smiled. "You aren't supposed to agree with me!" She said, slapping his arm playfully.

"Ouch!"

OOOOO

"Be good…Or don't be good and keep it a secret." She said as she kissed him goodbye.

"I'll take good care of him, don't you worry." Jake said as he slapped his arm around Tristan's shoulders. She glanced to the ceiling as if in prayer.

"We'll be fine." Tristan said with a big grin on his face. It reminded her of his Chilton days, which made her smile.

"I'm sure. Like I said, just don't tell me about it. See you in a few days."

"Okay, love you."

"Bye."

"Love you." Jake mimicked as he shut the door. "Let the fun begin!" Tristan knew that look. That was a dangerous look.

OOOOO

Three days later, Rory came home to find Tristan and Jake asleep at two in the afternoon. Tristan was on the couch and Jake was sleeping upright in the chair. They were still in their clothes and smelled like old cigar smoke and booze. She nudged Tristan.

"Hey." He said as he opened his eyes slowly.

"Hello."

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here." She giggled as his poor hung-over brain tried to comprehend. "The trip got cut short. Here's a tip…Gilmores do not travel well when mixed with the rest of society. Hey Jake." She said as he stirred and sat up in his chair.

"Hello beautiful." He smiled.

"Did you two have fun?" She said, super perky, wanting to annoy them as much as possible.

"Yes." Tristan said, moving as if he was sore from head to toe.

"Good. Now I'm hungry, who's going to feed me?" Both boys just groaned at the thought of food and fell back to their respective spots.


	17. Requests

Disclaimer: The usual

This Christmas season, although celebrated in January, would forever remain in Tristan's memory as his favorite. Besides becoming engaged to a beautiful girl, he had experienced a real family Christmas for the first time. Lorelei and Luke had been wonderful to him and had truly opened up their hearts like he was a member of their family. The Stars Hollow winter festival, although it took some getting used to, was enjoyable as well. While he could never keep up with the Gilmore Girls, he and Luke bonded over how crazy their girls were. Jess and Anna were right there, making fun of every little detail with them. As he sat in front of the fireplace later at the Inn, Tristan smiled as he recalled seeing Rory in her natural environment. It completely explained every little quirk in her personality that he loved about her. The town, the festival, the Inn, these were all pieces of her that he had finally been able to experience first hand.

"I found you." Rory whispered as she curled underneath his blanket on the couch.

"I couldn't sleep so I figured I would come out here and start a fire, maybe it would help me relax a little."

"Too much sugar tonight?" He smiled and nodded. "I told mom that we should have started you out on a beginner's diet. But no, she thought you could handle it."

"I think it was the hot chocolate with chocolate covered coffee beans that put me over the limit." He said seriously as he rubbed his stomach. "My hands stopped shaking though." He said, showing her his hand. She took it proudly.

"You'll get there, or maybe not, Luke still can't get used to it. Although, I'm pretty sure he never tried it either. So you get points just for trying." She grinned.

"I had fun tonight." He said quietly.

"Good, I'm glad."

"I really liked seeing this side of you." Rory looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Seeing the way the town works, how much everyone adores you. It explains a lot about you. And it makes you so happy." She nodded.

"They liked you too."

"I don't know. They are pretty protective of their princess." He said with a grin.

"No really. They don't take to everyone like they took to you. You should have seen some of the outsiders that have been brought in. Trust me, you don't want to know." She shuddered.

"I'll take your word for it." He laughed. She yawned and snuggled in closer to him. "Do you want to go back upstairs?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"I want to stay here with you." Within a matter of minutes she was sleeping on his shoulder. He smiled at her, wishing they could stay like this forever. It was then that he realized, they could. He glanced down at her ring and started grinning like a fool. He kissed the top of her head and snuggled down into the couch, letting Rory cover him like a blanket.

OOOOO

When Lorelei got to the Inn that morning, Tristan and Rory were still on the couch with content looks on their faces. They looked so safe and warm it seemed a shame to wake them. She looked at them and smiled as she went to talk to Sookie in the kitchen.

"Did you see them?" Sookie asked with a lovesick smile.

"I did."

"Oh they are sooo cute! Don't worry, I took a picture." Lorelei smiled. "It makes me want to start working on their wedding cake right now!"

"You've got some time Sookie, I promise."

"I know but to be young and in love." She sighed. "It's just so romantic, it gets all the butterflies in your stomach going and you just want to…"

"puke?" Michel said as he entered the kitchen.

"Oh stop it Michel, they aren't hurting anyone."

"Lorelei, there was a phone call for you at the front desk. I told them that you were not here, but they insisted on speaking to you."

"Well did you take a message?"

"No. I told them to call back later."

"Michel, you could have at least gotten a phone number so I could call them back."

"I believe it was your mother."

"Good job Michel, you're getting a raise."

OOOOO

"Lorelei, honestly, how do you get any customers if you don't show up to work until now?" Emily barked into the phone.

"Did you have a reason for calling mother?" Lorelei said, completely ignoring her.

"What colors are Tristan and Rory planning for their wedding? I just saw the most amazing invitations and I thought they would be perfect for their wedding."

"For starters, they haven't started planning their wedding and two, it's not your decision to pick out invitations Mom! You have to let them decide what they want for themselves. If you start doing this to them now, you are going to push them into eloping and then you won't get to come."

"Do you think this is a joke, Lorelei? The DuGrays and the Gilmores uniting at last. It's going to be the wedding of the decade in Hartford and I expect it to be done well. Now, put Rory on the phone."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"She and Tristan haven't woken up yet."

"Lorelei…"

"Oh, I have a customer calling, I'll have to call you back mother, bye!" She hung up the phone.

OOOOO

"Your grandmother called." Lorelei said as Rory walked into the kitchen with Tristan. "She was shopping for invitations and she wanted to know what your wedding colors were going to be." Tristan turned a lovely shade of white as Rory closed her eyes.

"It's not funny to start joking this early in the morning." Tristan said. "Especially after the sugar high I had yesterday."

"It's not a joke my friend. You two are going to have, and I quote "The wedding of the decade"." Lorelei smiled. "I suggest you stop this before it gets started, because Hurricane Emily is coming and there is NO stopping her once she gets going."

"You should have known this was coming." Rory said as she dug into the muffins in front of her.

"Yes, but I wasn't expecting it a mere week after we got engaged."

"The Hartford announcement has already been out in the paper." Sookie said as she showed it to them. It was clipped and on the fridge. Rory groaned.

"I told you not to marry into society. Did I not tell her since the day she was born to not marry into society?" She looked to Sookie for confirmation.

"I believe so, yes."

"Tristan and I are not society. Our families are society."

"That makes you society too." Sookie said. "Don't you guys want a big wedding that you won't have to spend a dime on…it could be nice." Tristan looked at Rory with the best "Please don't do this to me" face she had ever seen.

"Don't worry, not that mean." She whispered to him. He sighed in relief. "I don't really want a big wedding."

"Well, you could elope." Anna said as she walked into the kitchen. "Trust me, it's the greatest thing in the world. No drama, just doing it your way."

"Yeah, but I want people there. What about the Stars Hollow wedding we talked about?" Rory asked. "We could do it in the Gazebo." Tristan shrugged.

"I honestly don't care, just so long as you are there."

"If you can convince the grandmother and the mother of that, more power to you." Lorelei said as she walked out of the room.

"How hard could it be?" Anna asked as Rory and Tristan looked at each other.

OOOOO

"Grandma, this is not what I want. Don't you want me to be happy on my wedding day!" Rory asked, frustrated at her life. When Rory had shown up here to discuss this with Emily, she took it as an opportunity to change Rory's mind. Every wedding planner in the area had a booth set up for Rory to look at. It was way too much for her to handle. Tristan had decided it was better to divide and conquer. Now, Rory wasn't so sure.

"If you just look at this one thing, I think you'll…"

"Grandma, if you come near me with another wedding planner, I will get on a plane right now and elope."

"Rory, you are being unreasonable, just like your mother."

"I don't know Grandma, you missed out on a lot of my life, do you really want to miss out on my wedding?" Emily stopped in her tracks.

"You wouldn't dare. I am your grandmother. I am paying for your tuition. After everything I've done for you…"

"Do you want to try and find out?" Rory asked. Emily was shocked at her granddaughter's behavior, but she didn't respond.

"You may go." Rory told the planner next to her.

OOOOO

Tristan was getting a much colder response at his house.

"Tristan, just because you hate these functions does not mean that you can just elope and leave your family to explain why their only son didn't have a proper wedding. It's your responsibility to this family." Tristan actually winced at that phrase. It was one he hadn't heard since he was in high school.

"I have a higher responsibility to my future wife, to my own family." He threw back, shocking his father. He had never had the strength to stand up to his father, no one ever talked back to him. "And if you cannot appreciate that, then you are welcome to not come. I would like you there, but I don't want anyone there who would cause a scene. Rory deserves more than that, and personally, I would like to think that I do too. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." Tristan said as he got up and started for the door, leaving a stunned father in his wake.

OOOOO

On a beautiful summer's day in Stars Hollow, Rory Gilmore married Tristan DuGray at 4:00 PM in the town square. Standing up for the bride were Lorelei Gilmore Danes, the bride's mother, and Catherine Dumont, sister of the groom. Standing up for the groom were Robert Dumont, brother-in-law of the groom, and Jacob O'Reily, friend of the groom. The flower girl was Elizabeth Dumont, niece of the groom. A small wedding of sixty people, friends and family were invited to celebrate the nuptials by attending a dinner and dance following the ceremony, catered by Sookie St. James. The couple will be finishing their last year at Yale in the fall.


	18. Red Apples

Disclaimer: This is the final chapter! I hope you have enjoyed it. PS: This idea comes from Season 5 Episode 21, Blame Booze and Melville, which is completely Amy Sherman Palladino's.

Rory was sitting in the kitchen, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. Tristan stopped and watched her. It was perfectly Rory. They had been married for years, and life couldn't be better.

"Morning baby." She said, acknowledging his presence without even turning around.

"Good morning." He walked over to her and kissed the back of her head. It was then that he noticed something unusual, there was an apple core on her breakfast plate. "Did you eat that?" He asked, knowing there must be an explanation.

"Yeah, I know! They looked good…weird right?" She said. "Very rarely do I ever eat anything green."

"Apples are red, Mar." He said, never taking his head out of the refrigerator. He knew that she would have a perfectly good Gilmore comeback, which she did.

"Yes, but healthy foods are green. And some apples are green. And they grow on green trees, Therefore, I ate something green."

"Hmm, well I'm very proud of you, albeit so…uncharacteristic."

"Well between you and Luke I figure I should eat something healthy occasionally." Tristan was in the middle of his medical internship and had been trying to get Rory to eat something 'green' for as long as he could remember. She had always refused.

"I'm glad something finally sunk in. I'm on my way out, are we meeting in Stars Hollow tonight for dinner?" Rory nodded.

"I'll expect you in time for dessert." She said with a wink. It had been hard for her since Tristan had started his internship. He worked crazy hours and they rarely got to spend time together. And the little time they did spend together, he was so exhausted he couldn't keep his eyes open. But she knew that it was worth every second of his time, and she could be supportive of him until this time passed.

"Haha. I'll see you later." He said, kissing her quickly before running out the door. Rory went to her Blackberry calendar to see what else she had planned for the day. Her Saturdays were basically catch up time in between work to run errands and clean the house, both of which probably should be done. Glancing at the day, she realized that there was a little notification on last Saturday that she had forgotten about. Instantly, her hands began to shake. She was a week late.

OOOOO

Several pregnancy tests and hours later, Rory was driving to Stars Hollow, white knuckles gripping the steering wheel. She couldn't believe it. After all these years of thinking about having kids, she hadn't planned on having them until after Tristan was settled into his job, until they were ready. Her mom was going to know. Rory couldn't lie, and she was going to have to get through a whole meal without letting anything slip. She couldn't tell her mother before she told Tristan, it just wasn't right. She pulled in and walked up the front steps. As she opened the door, she was greeted by the sound of Lorelei singing The Bangles at the top of her lungs.

"MOM!" Rory screamed over the music blaring in the kitchen.

"Oh!" Lorelei turned off the radio. "Hey babe, what's up?"

"Your volume apparently."

"Aw, there's the witty writer that Mommy raised. Where's Tristan?"

"Need you ask? He'll be by whenever his shift gets over."

"That's tough huh? You probably don't ever get to see each other." She looked sympathetic.

"Yeah, but it's only for a few more months. We've made it this far, we can handle the rest."

"So what's new?" Rory instantly turned red.

"Not much." Lorelei stared at her.

"Oh really?" Rory shrugged.

"Work is the same, Tristan's always gone or sleeping. I've officially become the old married lady." Lorelei didn't believe her for an instant, but she left it for now. Luke had just walked in and dinner was ready.

"Hey Rory, how are you?" Luke asked as he set the bag of food down on the counter.

"Secretive." Lorelei muttered under her breath.

OOOOO

An hour later, Tristan showed up. The entire family was sitting around the kitchen table, drinking coffee and eating Luke's famous pie.

"Speaking of pie, you would be very proud to know that Rory ate an apple this morning." Tristan said to Luke, who gave an approving nod to Rory. Lorelei choked on her coffee.

"I'm sorry, did you say apple?" Lorelei said, managing to control her coughing and sputtering to glance at Rory. She looked nervous.

"Yeah, I was shocked too." Tristan said, laughing at her reaction. Rory and Lorelei still hadn't broken their stares.

"You ate an apple?"

"Mmhm." Rory nodded, trying to ignore the subject.

"Ignore your mother. Good for you Rory. It's about time you stopped letting your mother's eating habits dictate your own." Luke said. Lorelei had tears in her eyes. Rory swallowed and smiled.

"You mean like, a sour apple sucker, or something right?" Rory shook her head.

"I ate an apple." She said quietly, knowing what Lorelei was thinking.

"Are you sure?" She asked. Rory nodded. Lorelei jumped out of her chair and enveloped Rory in a hug.

"Oh my God! You ate an apple!" She kept repeating as they jumped up and down in the kitchen. The two men watched in confusion as their wives danced around the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I just…ate it today." Rory said, going with the metaphor. Lorelei pulled away and composed herself.

"Should I ask for clarification?" Tristan asked Luke. He shook his head.

"You probably don't want to know."

"I know, but, look at them." Tristan said. Lorelei heard Tristan and glanced at Rory, tears still in her eyes.

"Go home!" She said, kicking the kids out of her house.

"What?" Luke and Tristan said at the same time.

"You have to go home," Lorelei said, smiling.

"You heard the woman. We have to go home." Rory said, grabbing Tristan's hand and her purse. "Tell Luke after we're gone will you?" She whispered. Lorelei nodded.

OOOOO

Rory didn't stop smiling until they got home. Tristan knew that something was up, but he had tried the entire way home to figure out what the Hell was going on. Truth was, he was too tired to think, and he was more than happy to get home.

"Ok, are you ready?" Rory asked, completely freaked out.

"I've been asking you the whole ride home, why tell me now?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I didn't want it to happen this way. You should've been the first to know, but you've been so busy and…"

"Ror." He interrupted her. He didn't need to hear about how much he had been gone. He was already feeling guilty enough.

"Sorry." She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant." Tristan's face went completely blank. "That's why mom was freaking out when I ate an apple. It wasn't until after you had left this morning that I remembered… why aren't you saying anything?" He walked over to her.

"Wait, how did we get from you eating an apple to you thinking you are pregnant?"

"My mom craved apples when she was pregnant with me." A smile breaking through slowly on her face. "And I don't think…I know."

"And you…you're sure?" She nodded. He couldn't believe it. They hadn't planned this.

"Are you freaking? I totally freaked. I still am freaking. I mean, it's a ba…" She was cut off as his lips crashed onto her own. He swept her up in his arms and spun her around.

"I love you." She smiled. "And you." He said as he put his hand on her stomach.

"So you're not panicking?"

"This is a good thing Ror."

"I know but it's so….big. I mean, we talked about it, but you're so busy and I'm always at work. We always said we would wait until…"

"We had time?" Tristan finished.

"Yeah."

"Mary, I'm going to be a doctor, I'm never going to 'have time'." He said jokingly. She processed that information.

"Well I don't want to raise a kid by myself Tristan." Tristan was taken aback by her words, almost as if he didn't hear her correctly.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, the edge in his voice evident.

"I know that you would never…" she tried to find her words.

"How could you think that?" He asked her quietly.

"We all mean well. But things happen, life happens and pretty soon I have to quit my job to stay home and take care of the family and you are working eighty hour weeks and I become resentful…." She stopped when she saw his jaw clench. She had gone a step too far. He slowly nodded in understanding.

"You think I'm going to become my father." He said softly, as if the words escaping from his lips actually physically hurt him.

"I never said that." She said, backpedaling as fast as she could. "I didn't mean that."

"No, but you did. You did." He said, smiling in disbelief. She had struck a nerve. He wanted to walk out of the room but he couldn't even move.

"Tristan, that's not what I meant! I could never think that!" She put her hand on his arm as if begging him to understand her.

"Don't!" He shrugged it off. Rory turned around in defeat and began to cry. Standing there in the kitchen, her back turned to him, Tristan instantly felt like he was the worst person in the entire world. The guilt overwhelmed him until he couldn't feel anything but regret. He stood there for a second before he could get his large motor skills working again. She sniffed as he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around hers. At the slightest feeling of his body, Rory collapsed into him.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair as he held her. "I'm so sorry." Rory shook her head and cried harder. A few gasps of oxygen and she was able to form some semblance of a sentence.

"I'm sorry. It…It was all my..." She cried even harder as he squeezed her tighter.

"Shh, come on Ror, you have to calm down. Breathe." He took a deep breath, hoping that she would follow his lead, which she did. A few breaths later and she had stopped crying. "That's my girl." He said as he turned her around to face him. He wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I warned you I was freaking out." She laughed through her tears.

"Guess what, me too." He intertwined his fingers into her own.

"Is it too early to blame it on the hormones?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired and overwhelmed and surprised…" He trailed off.

"Come on, let's go get some sleep huh?" She closed her eyes as he nodded, realizing that she was just as tired as he was. He picked her up and she laid her head in the crook of his neck. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. He removed both their clothes and she crawled under the covers.

"I love you more than anything, you know that right?" Tristan said as he slid in next to her, but she was already asleep. He kissed her forehead and fell into a deep sleep.

OOOOO

"Daddy!" The pitter-patter of footsteps echoed throughout the house as Tristan set his bag down just inside the door.

"Hey baby! How was your day?" He asked as he picked her up and hugged her tight.

"Gamma's here!" She said, excitedly wiggling out of his arms. "Come see!" She said, tugging on his shirt sleeve.

"I'm coming!" He said, barely able to get his shoes off before she pulled him into the kitchen.

"Lorelei Madelyn DuGray, what did I tell you about running in the kitchen?" Rory scolded. "Hello," she gave Tristan a quick kiss. "How was your day?" she asked, half-listening to his reply as she popped a grape in her mouth.

"Great. How was yours?" She nodded as she swallowed. Lorelei appeared from the backyard with the baby in her arms. "There's my little man." He said, taking the baby out of Lorelei's arms. "Hey buddy."

"Daddy, do you want a cookie?" Maddie said with a giggle as she held up a plastic princess plate with nothing on it.

"Not before supper missy." Lorelei said as she scooped her up. "Let's go wash your hands."

"Does Noah want a cookie?" She asked as Lorelei carried her away.

"Noah doesn't have any teeth!" Tristan heard from down the hall. He laughed at Lorelei's energy, she loved having kids around again. She always said that it was nice to have someone with the same maturity level.

"Speaking of teeth, where's your supper?" He asked rhetorically as Rory pulled a bottle out of the microwave and tossed it to Tristan. "Oh she's good." He told his son.

"Oh, so I called to find out if Izzy could babysit but she's got other plans but Jess said that Anna would love to babysit sometime so I'm going to try them next." Rory said as she set the table.

"What is she doing?" Rory pretended not to hear him. Tristan knew exactly what she was up to. "Mary…" He said in a warning tone.

"She's got a date."

"I'm sorry, did you just say date?" Rory nodded. "She can't possibly have a date, she's still a kid!"

"She's in junior high Tristan." She said realistically. "What did you expect?"

"She's not in junior high, she's four. She's four and she still needs me to check for monsters under her bed."

"Your daughter isn't even four. Let's just face the facts, you're getting old."

OOOOO

As they lay in bed later that night, Rory put her book down and looked at Tristan.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you hear that?" Tristan listened but shook his head. "Exactly." She said with a smile.

"I've got ten bucks that says it won't last another half an hour." He said, pulling his glasses off his nose and using them to point to the bedroom door.

"We'll have to move fast then, won't we?" Rory grinned as she began taking off her shirt. He smirked.

"Mary." He climbed on top of her and gave her a kiss. "I believe that I have _finally_ corrupted you."

"You feeling proud of yourself?" She asked. He paused as if to think about it, then nodded with a smirk. She kissed him slowly, drawing him into her mouth. When he was dizzy, he pulled away to catch his breath and Rory whispered in his ear. "But I turned you into a family man. I win." She said, teasing victory dripping from her voice.

"Mommy!" The baby monitor from the night table called. Tristan let his forehead drop against hers.

"Speaking of family." He kissed her one last time before climbing off of her and grabbing her shirt. He handed it to her and she put it on.

"Hold that thought." She said as she got out of bed.

"Trust me, I've been holding this thought for two weeks!" He said. "And you owe me 10 bucks!" She stuck her tongue out at him as she left the room. He smiled and turned over onto his side. He wouldn't want it any other way.

Ok, that's it! I hope you guys liked this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate you guys! Shameless promoting of my other stories Walking Away and Closure, go read those!


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